<USS Avalon> Love and Confusion, part one

 =/\= Love And Confusion, part one =/\=
Siobhan Finkelstein and El-Kainah Ngaio



Siobhan knew she would find El in the Sickbay lounge at mid-shift. She 
entered quietly and manually programmed the replicator for a mug of tea. He was 
sitting with his back to her, but she suspected he knew she was the one who had 
come in. They had certainly spent enough time together for him to be able to 
identify her telepathically.

He smiled to himself as he sat there, stewing over his cup of coffee. "I was 
wondering when you would come in," he said as he heard the tell-tail shimmer 
of the replicator. 

She took her tea and went over to the table, giving him a quick kiss as she 
went past him to the next chair. "These midnight shifts are awful," she 
commented. "Does anyone ever get used to them?"

He laughed silently at her question. They were pretty bad, but they had their 
good points, too. Not too many people around. Which left you time to think, 
or talk to friends you were working with. "Eventually, you are able to tolerate 
them." He smiled at her warmly.

Sighing, Siobhan sipped her tea. "They are easier to tolerate with you 
around," she said with a smile.

He nodded. "I feel the same," he agreed. He looked at her over the cup of 
coffee he sipped. "There is something on your mind," he said.

"Well..." She shrugged. "It's about Miriam."

He looked up from his coffee. "What about her?" He was surprised she brought 
her up. She always seemed so uncomfortable when he would talk about her or ask 
about her. He wondered what this could be about.

"She's in love with you," Siobhan said quietly. "Really truly in love, I 
think..." Her words trailed off as she stared into her mug.

He was stricken. In love with him? He couldn't believe it. He looked at 
Siobhan in stunned silence a moment before he could find his voice. "You think 
what?" he asked.

"I think she's been avoiding you." There, it was said.

He frowned a little. "Avoiding me? But why?" He sipped his coffee again. "I 
haven't done anything to upset her, have I?"

"I don't think so," said Siobhan. "I think it's because she doesn't want to 
trap you or something. She said she can't be like me, she can't be a friend and 
a lover too. I guess it's all or nothing with her..." She shrugged again. "I 
don't know. Most people I know aren't that way, so I don't know how to figure 
it out."

"But I haven't tried to make her anything but a friend," he protested. "I 
kissed her once, but that was before you and I got together," he added. "She 
was 
the one that said I should go out with you.  I don't understand," he said 
after a moment. Exasperated.

"Well..." She paused to take a drink of her tea. "I can't figure her out 
either. I just said that, didn't I?"

He nodded. "Yeah, you did."  He smiled. "I wasn't really asking or expecting 
an answer, I guess," he admitted. "Did she say she was avoiding me or 
something?"

"She didn't exactly say so," Siobhan admitted. "But it was a feeling I got 
when she talked about you. I said she ought to talk to you, and right away I 
got 
a feeling like she really wanted to but at the same time she would go out of 
her way not to have to face you... does that make any sense?"

He shook his head. "No not really," he admitted. "Do you think she would talk 
to me if I found her?"

"Yeah." The girl nodded, smiling with relief. "I think she would."

He could sense her relief. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, 
Siobhan." He smiled at her. "I just don't want her upset with me, either. I 
thought 
she was my friend. Friends are something I do not have very many of right now," 
he confessed.

She nodded again. "El... even if you fall in love with her, I'll still be 
your friend. I like you, even aside from the sex. You're nice. If you're happy, 
that'll make me happy."

"I don't know if what I feel for her is love or not," he said as he reached 
for Siobhan's hand. "I know I have fun with you, though." He smiled.

Giving him her hand, she smiled, her eyes twinkling. "I have fun with you, 
too," she said. "But you ought to talk to her. At least find out what's going 
on, hmm?"

He smiled at her. "You are right of course. " He nodded. " I should talk to 
her."

"She's in our quarters now," said Siobhan. "I can cover for you if you want 
to go for a while... there hasn't been much going on here since that whole slew 
of patients was released a while back, you know."

He looked at her a moment. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Sure." The perky grin told him she meant it. "If anything comes up, I'll 
comm you right away."

He smiled at her. "You really are a good friend," he said as he stood up to 
go. He started to leave but caught himself and came back to give her a quick 
kiss before he left. "Thanks again, Siobhan.  I'll be back as soon as I can." 
And he left to go talk to Miri.

Siobhan nodded to herself as he left. She might miss the sex with him if he 
did end up with her roommate, but it was true what she had told Miriam, that 
there were plenty of guys on board who would be happy to hop in the sack with 
her. She just wanted El to be happy.

Other related posts: