Joint Personal Log - CO & CINTL - aCapt Rhodes & LtCmdr TierneyLook How They Shine For You

Posted on 241408.10 @ 12:15am by Acting Captain Mark Rhodes & Commander Tierney Rinehart
Edited on on 241408.10 @ 12:16am

Mission: Suicidal Running Title

=*=Captain's Quarters=*=

Fabla had saved her from the sick bay, the nurse almost all too happy to no longer be responsible for the upstart that was the intel officer. The chill of the crew still existed, even more so now that one of their own had been badly injured for simply being too close to her in the wrong place at the wrong time. Part of the Starling would never forgive herself for endangering Scarlet, or any of them, for that matter. She'd spent the better part of the day laying in her bunk on the Figaro under the constant care of Ferra and gurgling concerns of Tygelgor. Nadik had griped about her going off without one of them around, not wanting to hear that Karim had been just a stall or two away dealing with a misogynistic trader when the entire thing had gone down. The Tellerite firmly felt that the Trill and his human Captain were trouble and their eventual undoing - Tierney's own coming tragedy if she didn't order them to leave right then and there.

It had been inevitable. She knew it. They knew it, but silently they rejoiced that no one had been killed.

They'd thought her to be asleep when she left, beaming directly to the Captain's quarters as she had done before, sneaking away like a teenager climbing out a window to take off with the boyfriend daddy didn't like. Even the act of being transported left her feeling slightly disoriented and she wobbled a couple steps away from where she shimmered into existence, barely making it to his bed before crashing atop the duvet in a heap.

Acting Captain Mark Rhodes had decided it was time to call it quits, 2 hours after he was off duty. He had been smoothing things over with the Bimi Station Administration. He had been on communications for the past hour and had a meeting in the morning over on the station. But for now he was tired and decided it was time for bed.

He entered his quarters and slipped into his bedroom, noticing a familiar twinkle and quietly changed from his uniform to his sleeping clothes. He crawled into bed and snuck his arm around Tireney's sleeping form. She stirred slightly and he kissed her on the forehead. "Sorry to wake you, beautiful," he said with a warm smile.

Uncurling from her rest, Tierney hummed a sleep slurred greeting allowing her lips to find his chin in a kiss lighter than a feather's touch. He was warm, the quintessential herald of her safety as he held her in the half lights. "Been sleeping my life away." She managed, more coherent as she stretched and pressed herself closer to him, eagerly accepting his closeness and touch.

"What is a poor Intel officer to do who has run away from her oppressors?" he said with a wink. "How long have you been here? I didn't figure my bed would be so warm."

She studied him in the dim lights, "Hide in the Captain's bed, apparently." He was awarded with a smile for his well timed toss of humor, one that lit the finer features with softened glee as it spread across her face. "A couple hours? I didn't check the time." Tierney shrugged slightly, uncaring about things like time and spacial distances given how close she'd come to dying.

"Well that's alright," he said with a smile. "Had I known I would have been home sooner. Doing big captain-y things, you know how it is."

"Given the situation, I didn't think it wise to alert you or anyone else to where I was." She said, running the pads of her fingers along the young Captain's jaw, "I, for one, would like to stay alive. Too much I'd miss if I were dead."

"Like what?" asked Mark. "Sneaking into the captain's quarters? Being my little secret?" he said snuggling in a little closer to her.

"You in general." The answer seemed so strangely fluid coming from her lips, like it belonged to him. "Everything else is relatively replaceable." It startled the Starling when she realized what she'd said, how easily she was assimilating into the role of lover after a life of practical isolation. Codependency, of any form or degree, had never been an option but there she lay beside him, touching and being touched -- and enjoying it. Her skin failed to crawl or shiver when he touched her, if anything it tingled in a degree of pleasure under his careful hands as he cradled her against him.

Mark relished her words for a moment and smiled at her. "If you weren't here, I'd miss you," said Mark kissing her again on the forehead. "I don't ever want you to leave, or I'd run the stars chasing after you," said Mark with a meaningful grin.

"Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere." It wouldn't take Tierney much to disappear, if that's what her heart had guided her to do. With cloak on the Figaro, she could sneak away in the middle of the night leaving little to no trace behind that she'd ever existed -- the thought made her shiver in distaste. She could never leave him, not unless he sent her away, and the very thought of such a thing frightened and confused her to her core.

Tierney had never taken a lover, never had been truly given the chance. Kerenal had been the closest, the bronze skinned El-Aurian had been the first and only kind voice and gentle hand she had ever encountered in her travels along the way to where she was now. She'd loved him for it, though aside from long talks there had only ever been a near miss and nary even a kiss -- friends with tension. And now? She had Mark right there in front of her, the man, so gentle, serene and soft -- and all she could hear were her own self doubts clamoring against the sound of Scarlet and Fabla's warnings against falling in love. One had said to keep her guard up, that the crew didn't trust her and the Captain wouldn't be trusted if ever it was known they were more than just a pretty thought - the other had said to be safe, to not second guess her instincts. And there she lay, consorting with him in the dark, allowing him to hold her captive and spellbound by the comforts he offered.

The reminder that she'd been brushed by the frozen fingers of death only served to spur her on. Sink or swim, the guiding voice in her heart reached out to smite the worries with those three words, and Tierney found herself pushing forward to claim his lips with hers. Her eyelids fluttered closed as satin met silk and her fingers ran through the luxury of his hair even as warning klaxons blared in her mind. She'd forget it all if only to embrace the spirit of life.

"Tierney?" Their lips having parted, Mark called to Tierney through the silence in nothing more than a whisper in her ear.

"Yes?" She asked, her pulse racing as the heat of his breath tickled her neck and lobe.

"I have a question for you..."

"Uh huh..." her tongue worried the fullness of her lower lip nervously as he spoke.

"I am fairly traditional when it comes to relationships, so I was wondering if you would do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" asked Mark.

There in the dark she considered him, her eyes closing against the thought as she processed and cycled it -- weighed it, measured it and knew in her heart of hearts it was so incredibly wrong. But it was also so incredibly right. Their budding relationship would either triumph or be the doom of the good ship Enterprise, swallowing hard she gave herself to the risk she -- they -- had to take. "I will." Tierney replied, her voice soft and low as if in mimicry of the fragile tone the man himself had taken.

"Thank you," said Mark smiling warmly to himself, even though in the darkness she would never see it. "If I go to sleep, you will still be here in the morning, right?" he called out feeling the warmth of the body he held in his arms.

"I'll be here." She responded in kind, the comfort she received simply by knowing she was wanted, perhaps even needed, was immense and powerful. It gave the star smattered woman wings, a chance to breathe, to belong. She relished it. "I..." No. She stilled her tongue with her teeth, not allowing such things to pass - not yet, not when so much was at stake, she chastised herself and rested back against her pillow. To the future, she thought, to the future.

Marks attention was grabbed. He questioned softly, "You...?"

Think quick, her mind chided her for her youthful exuberance and Tierney blushed crimson in the dark, winding her fingers through his hair. "I'm glad I came here instead of hiding on the Figaro." She offered, a perfect cover.

"I thought you were going to say 'I love you,'" admitted Mark to the darkness. "But I would have been sorely mistaken for not saying it first myself I suppose. Tierney? I want you to know something, I love you."

Cover blown.

Her heart fluttered, skipping from the shock of hearing such words uttered in purpose for her ears and her ears alone. He'd caught her, red handed, and out of fear she'd quickly retreated only to be tugged back into the fold. "I was..." She admitted, timidly. "I do. I love you, Mark." Too was so very overrated, like a horrible sequel to an incredible original.

Time had been a blur from that first day he'd blown onto the bridge and she'd nearly blown the Interceptor out of the stars. He'd threatened her, promised a bullet for her - and one had come from another source, missing her to claim an innocent all while she steadily found herself slip sliding into love with a starship Captain. "You make me feel whole." Her voice sounded again, meekly, through the stillness.

"I could sleep with you in my arms forever," said Mark feeling the pull of sleep grasp him.

"Then we'll see to it." The Starling hummed soft and sweet, nosing closer to the Captain, closing her own eyes and willing her heart to slow. Sleep would come to her, eventually, for now she'd relish in the emotional and physical warmth he provided.

"I don't want to fall asleep on you..." said Mark quietly. "That would be rude..." he voice trailed off and his breathing started to deepen.

Her lips found his temple, pressing a feather soft kiss against his skin. "We've been through this." She murmured near his ear, reaching to stroke her fingers through his hair, "it's ok. Sleep." Tierney herself knew that she'd be close behind him, working to allow the zing and exhilaration to work its way from her system, to allow herself the chance to dream in peace.

--

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

Lieutenant Commander Tierney Rinehart
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-F