Coming Home

Posted on Saturday, 30 May 2020 - 7:59pm by Commander Soral & Lieutenant JG Maximus Mackenzie & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley

Mission: Operation: Recall
Location: USS Fontana | XO's Quarters
Timeline: 2393 - MD13+

{ON:}

After returning to her quarters, a place which felt almost alien to her after just a short time, Lieutenant Kingsley had slept. Hours slipped by unnoticed, filled with nonsensical dreams which became more vivid and intense as time went on. What woke her was not a dream. Or anything more beyond a moment of realisation that her bed was - besides herself - empty. It was his absence that lulled her from sleep, a need to see him that had her throw a sweater and leggings on over the t-shirt she had worn to bed and a need for some form of resolution to those things and their current dilemma which had her pressing the door chime in the dead of night.

The chime brought Maximus back to consciousness. He sat up on the sofa and walked over to the door pressing the open chime. He blinked several times at the pretty redhead standing at the door.

Alex was thrown off guard, not expecting to see this stranger standing in Soral's quarters, towering over her and looking like he had been dragged through a hedge backward after (from the smell of it) drinking half the quadrant dry. She heard Bones before she saw him, paws racing across the short distance from his bed to the door before retracing his steps to fetch his ball. "I came to see Soral," she said simply as she scooped up Bones. Playing games at this time would not be helpful. At all.

"Beautiful redhead. You must be Alex. Come on in." He rubbed his eyes. "Sorry I just drifted to sleep after checking in on Soral."

“Checking in...? Is he alright?”

"Well. He's an old friend and I just got transferred here. Imagine my surprise to find him on the floor laying into his fourth bottle of Saurian Brandy. Said something about woman he loved not loving him..." He rolled his wrist. "Something about being married. He was slurring a bit. Vulcan's have a huge metabolism an alcohol doesn't usually affect them but... well four bottles."

Four bottles... eyes wide, she set Bones back down. “He said that?! Where is he?”

"He's in the bedroom." He smiled. "I take it you can take things from here?"

“Yes,” she nodded before adding, “but thank you.”

He gave a nod. "I'm staying on the station and tomorrow I'll move in with my new roommate. If you need anything call. "Should be okay though. He threw up just an hour ago. He should be good for a few hours."

She hated to think what it took to make a Vulcan physically sick. “I’ll make sure he’s okay,” she assured him even as she moved inside and quickly cleared away the empty bottles. It worried her there were no glasses. Had he just drank from the bottle?!

Max gave a nod, scratched Bones behind the ears and then headed out.

Now alone, Alex glanced towards the bedroom door. First things first...

“Go to sleep Bones,” she encouraged, patting the bed and taking a moment to calm him as he settled in amongst the two uniform jackets. When he was settled she took a deep breath and made her way into the bedroom.

Soral slept fitfully. Max had helped him change into pyjama pants and now he lay on his side clutching her pillow. Each breath sent the spicy sent of her hair to him calming his spinning world. His eyes fluttered. He felt a presence but thought it to be max and fell back into a fitful sleep.

“Oh Soral,” she whispered, watching him sleep. She had her fair share of too much to drink over the years, yet this was more. What had his friend said? About her not loving him? What had she done to make him think that?

Fetching a fresh glass of water she returned to the bedroom and set it down before she lay down on the opposite side of the bed, arm tucked under her head as a makeshift pillow as she watched him sleep. As he became restless she gently stroked the side of his face, whispering to him it was alright.

Soral calmed at her touch. It took several moments but he opened his eyes. "Kay...Maks, oo win. No ore brindy oo string look ike Alex." His eyes closed.

“If you wish, I can call him back?” She offered with a gentle smile.

He opened his eyes at that. His mind reached out to touch her consciousness. Was it really her, his mind wondered. Did she come back?

“Hi,” she said softly as his eyes finally seemed to focus on her. She frowned slightly, feeling his presence just like when they had shared a mind meld, yet it felt distant. Like the light touch of a feather brushing against the edge of consciousness, his very essence lingering in its wake. Soral... his name filled her thoughts as she tries to focus on him. To touch an intangible thing, to have him with her again.

He clearly heard his name in her mind. He reached over touching her hand. Slowly he opened his mind to her dropped his mental block. Alex. Her name in his mind carried with it such joy and love. A cautious hope. Her effect on him seemed sobering as if she gave him strength. "Back?"

“I’m here,” she promised, tears stinging her eyes to feel how he saw her. It was so raw, powerful. “I never left you.”

"Love you." He curled his hand around hers and seemed to drift into a calm sleep.

“And I you,” she said softly, “now sleep...”


=/\=Next Mornings =/\=

Soral turned at the incessant sound of the alarm. "Computer off!" The sound stopped. Vulcan's should not drink...they were not affected by drink but that brandy gave him the mother of all hangovers. He groaned at the pain behind his eyes and turned to see Alex's side of the bed empty. Had he dreamed her?

He smelled food. Sitting up he slowly made his way to the living area.

“Morning,” Alex offered as she continued cooking, a hint of amusement when she noted how even the slightest noise seemed to be uncomfortable. It perhaps did not help that Bones appeared especially hyperactive. “How’s the head?”

Just the sight of her filled him with such joy. He closed his eyes ignoring the pain gently brushing her mind. She was there. She was real. He opened his eyes. "It is....Surprisingly...attached."

“Very surprising. Four bottles of Saurian brandy... quite an achievement surviving the night,” she commented as she dished up his breakfast and set it down on the table. “Sit. Eat. You’ll feel better.”

He sat down. "Vulcan's have a strong metabolism. That was not supposed to happen." He said.

"Four bottles," she reminded him. "Nobody has metabolism that good... Eat."

He ate. Feeling more hungry then he had in a long time. He stole glances at her between bites. "I am...pleased you are here." It was an understatement but he was still cautions. He wondered if she'd come back to ask about the bond. He couldn't get the image from his head of her trapped yesterday with her helmet off. He'd gotten in there pretty quick. He could have lost her. It had been the inspiration for the brandy, part of it. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She arched an eyebrow, clearly thinking that she was not the person who had almost drowned in brandy. "I am fine," she promised, keeping a watchful eye to make sure he ate his fill.

"I apologize for leaving the way I did after. I was..." Scared, confused. "I had much on my mind," he simply said.

"After?" she frowned. She was fairly confident he either meant after he had carried her to safety or after he had referred to her as his wife, yet she suspected it was important for him to actually say it aloud.

"After. I should have stayed to ensure you were safe my..." He almost said my wife. "I should have stayed."

"I was fine, I am fine, Doctor Rose just recommended some rest," she assured him. "Staying would not have changed his diagnosis. And you had, as you said, a lot on your mind."

"It was... unexpected but I am not repentant about the fact that we bonded."

"Even though you doubt my feelings for you?" she asked him.

"Yes." He said honestly. "You said you did not know how you feel about me. That is alright. I shall not and do not regret it. The decision as to what happens from here is yours."

“Oh Soral...” she whispered, shifting seats so she could take his hand. “You must have misheard. I said I did not doubt my feelings for you. Soral, since that day in the forge, our first kiss, I realised that there was no way I could stop myself from following whatever path we were on. Even though I knew it led to a marriage to someone else. I was unforgivably selfish for wanting whatever time we could have. But I always knew your path, you were to marry for the sake of your sister. But then I come into your life and manage to mess up a mind meld and then you said take time to think - which to Humans is not really time to think by the way - and I couldn’t think. At all. I just wanted - no, needed - you.”

He took her hand. "You did not mess up the mind meld. A bonding takes a need, a want, a desire from both sides." He paused. "You asked me what would happen if we broke the bond. All would stay the same. I would still belong to you I would still wish to be with you we would just not be bonded. If this is something you wish we can do this and if we decide to bond at a later time I can wait for that. I will not marry T'Aurora. I have decided this. My estate manager tells me he has figured out a way."

“If you truly thought it would stay the same,” she challenged gently, “then why did you get drunk thinking I didn’t love you?”

"I thought I heard you say you were not sure how you feel about me. I thought you found this...bond distasteful and I...blocked our bond so that I would not disturb you. I thought I would loose you." He said honestly.

“Soral,” she chided, leaning over to kiss him. “I was just surprised. Overwhelmed too. But I find nothing about you distasteful. Quite the opposite.”

"What do you wish to do my wife?" he allowed himself to ask.

She shifted, moving to sit on his lap, her forehead resting against his. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to become lost in the new possibilities stretching before them. A future as husband and wife. "I wish to be with you. Just like this," she whispered, although his Vulcan hearing would decipher the words as clear as day. She smiled as she brushed her fingertips along the side of his face, "my husband."

Such joy rushed into her mind from his. He opened the link fully sending the words, "My wife.. I love you."

Her breath caught, feeling his presence and all the love and sincerity behind hit. “This will take some getting used to,” she admitted with a grin. “You’ll have to be patient, what with all those human emotions running wild,” she cautioned with a mischievous smile.

"We will take things slow. We will learn all this together my wife." He would never get sick of saying it. He tipped his head up and kissed her tenderly. "Doe that mean you are moving in here permanently?"

"I guess that depends… Are you sure you and Bones are ready for that? I own like three pairs of shoes so I need a lot of cupboard space," she teased.

"We are both ready." He held onto her. "Lady Alexandra...I do like that. It is perfect." He smiled. "Would you like to see our home on Vulcan?"

“I haven't had a real home in a long time,” she confided. “I d love to.”

He looked down at them both. "We should change. Let us do that and I will take you to he holodeck."

“Sounds perfect.”

{OFF:}