<USS Avalon> Love at Second Sight

Love at Second Sight


by Steven Striker and Mary O'Donnell



John forced a smile as Mary potted another ball. "Natural talent, right?" His 
gaze swept the rest of the bar, settling on its new occupant and his possible 
saviour. Waving at the tall blonde who was wandering over, John called, "Hey 
Stevie!"

Steven Striker beamed at his new roommie and bopped on over. "Come on, Johnny, 
you've been holding out on me. Where's this stunning Security Officer you've 
been waxing lyrical about?"

John shrugged. "Dunno, man. Greg said her name is Vevay." Then a little of his 
sense of politeness won out and he forced himself to smile at the redheaded 
harpy. "Stevie, this is Ensign Mary O'Donnell. Ensign, this is my roommate 
Steven Striker." 

With a charming grin on his face, Steven swaggered up and said, "Most people 
call me Steve or Stevie, ma'am."

Shit! She felt her face colour. "We've met, in Sickbay." she smiled coyly. 

"We have?" Rubbing his chest where he'd been shot, Steven frowned. "I think the 
Doc shot me with something really funky for me to have missed meeting you, 
ma'am."

John rolled his eyes. "You wanna play dom jot, Stevie?"

"Nah, much rather buy the lovely Ensign a drink," Steven beamed.

Mary eyed him appraisingly "A bit full of yourself aren't you?"

Steven felt a blush colour his cheeks but he grinned. "Of course, why wouldn't 
I be?" 

"No reason. What makes you think I wouldn't prefer to buy you one?"

Grinning even broader, Steven took her hand and led her over to a table. "But 
the gentleman always buys the lady a drink. And since I know you're a lady, I 
have to play the part of the gentleman, right?" 

She rolled her eyes. "If you insist. A Jameson's with a Guinness chaser."

Chuckling as he sauntered away, Steven watched as John quietly disappeared. All 
mine, he mused. At the bar, he smiled cordially at Quark. "For the lady," he 
pointed his head at Mary, "One Jameson's and a Guinness. For me, I'll have a 
bottle of tequila and two glasses."

Chuckling the Ferengi eyed the hew-mon. "Playing with fire there. Just don't 
get burnt, you look like a loyal customer. And I can't lose your potential." 
His eye's glittered. 

"Ah but fire can warm and she looks so very warming," Steven laughed, leaning 
against the bar. "Beautiful too.

Quark shook his head, "Ooooo! I know the family, and she is a handful. The most 
hot-headed of the O'Donnell girls."

Steven winked, his grin in place. "I can handle it. If she burns me, it was fun 
while it lasted, right? Now... the drinks? And don't rip me off." 

The Ambassador snorted "This is Ferengi soil, you hew-mons have a phrase 
'Caveat Emptor'. But seeing as they're for Ms. O'Donnell, I'll waive it. These 
are...." the words almost made him choke, "...on the house."

"Ah, you're a decent human being," Steven teased then grabbed the drinks before 
the little man could change his mind. Bouncing back to Mary, he slid into the 
seat opposite her. "On the house, apparently." He poured out his shot and 
knocked it back. "I was just warned off of you, ma'am. Apparently you're a 
hot-head that's going to burn me." 

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "He's right. I threatened to shoot the Captain 
recently, and Quark is afraid he might be next."

"Well, I'm in Security, I think I can take care of myself," Steven winked. 
Raising his newly filled glass, he said, "Cheers." 

"Security? As am I." She downed the whiskey and sipped the ruby stout.

"Oh well, now I'm glad I joined the Avalon. At least you're considerably easier 
on the eyes than dear old Sierra." Laughing loudly, Steven downed another shot. 
"Not that I should say that. I hear the guy has ears every where. I even heard 
a rumour he was Intel, but you know how the grape vine works, he's could just 
as easily be a Klingon in disguise." 

"Hmmm, he's a smarmy swine." She gave Striker a small smile. "But let's not 
talk about work."

"What would you like to talk about, ma'am?" Steven felt his heart skip a little 
at her smile and it fascinated him.

"Drop the Ma'am, we're both off the clock. I'll leave the talking up to you." 
Her jade eyes fixed on his blue ones. "I'll sit back and enjoy my pint."

Steven tilted his head toward her, a cheek grin on his face. "How's this for a 
starter: you have the most staggering green eyes." 

The blush was hot and deep. "You should see my sister Moiras."

"But I'd rather see yours," Steven said shyly, sipping his next shot. "You're 
incredibly beautiful." 

"And you've a nice arse." she mumbled into her drink.

"I have a what?" Steven burst out laughing. "You're cute, damn but you're 
cute." 

She narrowed her eyes. "Cute? You are too much. Being so slick, it's a wonder 
you don't slide all the way out the door."

"Hey," he gasped, "cute is a good thing. I meant... I mean..." Steven flushed 
scarlet, all his lines dying on his tongue in the face of this woman. In a tiny 
voice, he admitted, "You're beautiful. Damnit, I said that." He huffed in 
embarrassment. "I should go, sorry."

Mary felt guilty and gave him a full O'Donnell smile "Don't go, you're just 
trying a little too hard Steven. Be yourself."

Oh now that smile was worth it all. Blushing even brighter, Steven downed what 
little was in his glass and then another to follow it. "I've never been 
tongue-tied before," he admitted. "So... you're from Ireland, right? 
Personally, I'm a New Yorker, born a bred. But half my family are Irish. But 
then half of Americans claim that, right?" 

"Hmmm thats true. So New York? Never been to the East Coast myself."

"Oh you should, it's great. I'm from the city, fast living, obnoxious taxi 
drivers, too much traffic even now," he smiled wistfully. "I miss it. I went to 
Ireland once, it's beautiful. Which part are you from?" 

"Belfast, Da' owns a pub near the shuttleport." Warmth entered her eyes, "What 
about your family?"

Steven shrugged. "Dad was a ground trooper, Mom was a Security Officer. They 
both died when I was five. I was brought up by my Aunt and Uncle. Not a lot 
more to tell. They're my only family and they're petrified something's going to 
happen to me. Can you blame them?" 

"Nope, can't say I do." She admitted, finishing the Guinness. "Why'd you choose 
to enlist?"

"Not smart enough to go to the Academy," he admitted with a blush. "I failed 
the entry exams." 

Mary smiled again, "I do wonder how some people get through them. There were 
classmates that I think had no right to be there. The Admiralty of 
tomorrow...." She giggled.

Steven blushed and shrugged his shoulders, but offered her a bright, cheeky 
smile. "Guess that tells you how thick I am," he winked. 

She snorted. "Rubbish, enlisted men and women are what keep the service going."

"Flattery," he said in all seriousness, "will get an officer everywhere." 

It was Mary's turn to blush. "Not flattery, fact. Although there's a Bolian on 
board would disagree with me."

"Tress?" Steven laughed loudly. "That arrogant prick thinks anyone of lower 
rank is cannon fodder. It was a piece of shit like him that got my Dad killed." 
Shaking his head, his smile still in place, he said, "Fortunately they are few 
and far between." 

O'Donnell grinned "Thankfully. He needs to be taught the error of his ways 
though."

"Oh yes, me and Johnny have been working on something for that," Steven said 
with a conspiritorial wink. "But if I told you, I'd have to kill you." 

"And how do you propose to do that?" she raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm not 
that easy to get rid of."

The glint in his eyes softened to something sweeter and gentler. "Kiss you to 
death?" he offered, blushing.

"Like to see you try."

A grin exploded across his face as he stood up and moved around the table. 
Leaning down, he brushed his fingers over her cheek. He brought his lips closer 
to hers but held back. "You want me to?" he breathed against her mouth. "Don't 
wanna get slapped after all." 

"I can't guarantee anything, " she whispered, "if you're no good I might just 
wallop you anyway."

His fingers wrapped through her hair as he drew her closer. Their lips touched 
lightly at first then he pressed them closer. Kissing her as deeply as he 
could, he felt his own knees go weak.

She melted into the kiss slowly, savoring soft tenderness of his lips., the 
smell of him. She just went with the sensation, her head feeling light.

Drawing her to her feet, not once breaking their kiss, Steven slid his arms 
around her waist and pulled her against him. Slowly, he released her and stared 
into her bottomless eyes. "You're amazing," he sighed.

"Likewise." She snuggled in even closer being drawn by his clear blue pools.

He could so easily just let himself take her home. Johnny wouldn't mind, he'd 
go stay with his Dad or something. But... "I can't do this," he sighed. "You're 
lovely, pretty, funny, sweet, but... I don't wanna take advantage." Suddenly, 
what he'd said struck him as incredibly funny and he laughed. "Not sure how I'd 
be taking advantage when it's you that's more sober." 

"Well in that case..." Her jade eyes twinkled, "we'll just have to sober you up 
first then."

"And how do you propose to do that," he mumbled as he leaned down and kissed 
her again, tasting the warm stout on her lips.

"Cold shower, closely followed by a hot one..." she reached round and pinched 
his behind, "with me."

"How about just the hot one?" He smirked at her, his hands finding the bottom 
of her shirt and sliding them under it to feel the soft, warm flesh beneath. 
"Let's find somewhere more private." 

Licking her lips, "Anywhere particular in mind?"

He stood back and took her hand. Drawing her out of the bar, he led her back to 
the ship. "I'll get Johnny to sleep somewhere else tonight," he said as he 
paused in a corridor of the docking ring to kiss her passionately.

I've died and gone to Heaven. "Slow down Tiger, we got hours yet!"

"Grrr," he growled teasingly. "Okay, if I have to wait, what do you suggest we 
do in the meantime?" When all I want to do is fall down and spend all night 
making love to you and worshipping you. "Poker? Scrabble? Strip Dominoes?" 

"Strip Dominoes?" She laughed, "Never done that, played Nude Twister once."

"Oh now that would be amusing but I'd rather do other things whilst naked," 
Steven mused.

She gave him another full-beam smile, "Sometimes getting there is far more 
fun!" Mary stretched up and kissed him again.

"Mmm," he mumbled against her lips, kissing her and drawing her back to the 
ship. "Then let me get you there, let me show you how sweet the trip can be." 

"Oh yes....." she breathed, "Show me!"

They almost stumbled into the cabin Steven shared with John. The bunk across 
the back wall was occupied but the instant John saw the pair of them he blushed 
and left without a word. Laughing loudly, Steven ignored the cadet and kissed 
Mary again. "It's not the most romantic of settings," he admitted with a shy 
blush. "Still want to stay?" 

Eyes twinkling "You were going to show me something?"

 

<Extended Version is Available upon Request>



"If there's nothing wrong with me... maybe there's something wrong with the 
universe!" 
~ Dr Beverly Crusher (ST:TNG, Remember Me)



                
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