<USS Avalon> "My Heart Leads Me Astray" Pt. 1

(This is a new addition to my security NPCs.)



?My Heart Leads Me Astray? ? Part One
by Ensign Evan Benevente



Evan and Michelle had met at the academy; they shared a lab table during science classes. Comparative Xenobiology would have eaten Evan alive and damaged his graduating record. Michelle, being his partner, helped him several times throughout the entire semester. Michelle was the most wonderful person he?d had met. She sacrificed a Parrise Squares tournament to help Evan pass the test, and waited up to two o?clock in the morning studying. She was there for whatever Benevente needed.

The day of the final Evan knew what he wanted. He wanted her. She had a fiery spirit and she was smart. She had the ability to bring out the best in someone, and with that she was able to get into them and control them. Evan was going to ask her out, not to study or anything like that, but to go get something at Yanok?s Café. They had good food and a great place in which to talk about things.

She walked into class the day of the final, smiled and sat down beside him. ?Are you ready for this? Wait, don?t say anything, you better be. I didn?t stay up all night to have you so nervous that you would fail miserably.?

?I am ready, I guess. I have something that I?d like to ask you?? Evan said, but she was ahead of him again, she always was.

?The Xenobiology of the Antarian Weed Mole is equal to that of the Katarian Puddle Snooke. Why can?t you understand that? I have repeated that to you so many times I can?t forget it. For crying out loud, I hum it on my way from class to class.? She said as she tapped her PADD that she hoisted from her bag.

?No, I wanted to know what you were doing?? His voiced trailed off as Ms. Larsex walked into the room and hit the display button. The image on the screen was that of the Xenobiology of an Electromagnetic
Lifeform. ?Cadets, the final for this semester is now. The PADDs are being passed out as I speak.? She pointed to her teaching aid that was administering the test, ?you will have exactly three hours to complete the two hundred question final. When you?re finished you can leave and go wherever you like, and I will see you at the graduation ? or you may return when they are graded.?

Benevente started the test, the questions threw him for a loop, and Michelle kept moving on. She was on the twentieth question by the time he?d finished number five. Evan smiled at her and she smiled in return and elbowed Evan playfully. He laughed under his breath and elbowed her back. She gave him another nudge and he slipped off the chair. Evan hit the ground and Michelle started laughing uncontrollably but muffled it under a fake cough as he pulled himself back into his chair.

?Mr. Benevente, is there something wrong? Or do you like sitting on the floor and being laughed at?? Ms. Larsex said as she half stood and glared at him from across the room with a snarl and smirk on her face in amazingly the same _expression_.

?I apologize for the inconvenience ma?am,? Evan said as he stood and then sat back into the chair and continued the test. He worked the problems, studied them from all angles possible, and then came to a conclusion. Whether or not that was the right answer, who knows, but Evan felt sure about of himself.

He finished the test third to last out of a class of forty-three. Evan walked into the hallway and Michelle hugged him ? she saw he was mentally drained.

?I?m surprised you didn?t walk out last, Evan. You were sweating bullets in there.? She was surprised that he didn?t finish dead last, but she was happy that Evan had finished at all. There was only seven minutes before the test was supposed to be turned in, and if he didn?t turn it in, he would?ve failed.

They walked down the corridor and into the gardens that laced the academy grounds. Evan took her hand, which she didn?t seem to mind. He had grown attached to her; she was part of him and when he was alone he felt as if a part was missing, and Evan yearned to be with her no matter what time of day. Whenever they talked he felt more tuned into what she was saying than anything else happening in the area. There could be a massive Borg attack that threatened to wipe out the entire human existence, and Evan wouldn?t care. He?d watch and listen to her until she was finished with her sentence ? then scream, yell, and shoot the Borg.

?What are you thinking about Michelle?? Evan asked as he stumbled over what to say in the silence. The sun was shining, as was her smile, but he couldn?t put his finger on what to say to her.

?Thinking about the final. Thinking about what is going to happen to ?us? when we are posted, Evan. What if we are posted on separate ships that are patrolling and doing things that are light-years away from each other?? Anxiety dripped from every word. She grabbed his other hand. She clutched them closely and stared into Evan?s eyes.

Evan could only say one thing. ?Michelle, there aren?t enough stars in the sky to keep me away from you. I love you with a passion that I can?t explain. I could never let you go. I will make sure we are posted on the same ship. I won?t let you go?? His hand graced her face and she returned his gaze. ?I love you.?

She smiled and she gave him a hug, ?I love you too. I didn?t think you felt the same way.?

?How can you say that? I told you how I felt. I love you more than life itself. I would die for you Michelle. You mean so much to me and I don?t know what I would do without you.? He shook his head and smirked, ?For crying out loud, you talked to my parents and they instantly loved you.?

?I?m glad, I miss my home and adapting isn?t easy. Being so far from my parents and my friends; I miss them so much.? A tear came to her eye and she put her face into her hands and sat on a rock nearby. ?Why is adapting so hard and why is it so hard to make friends??

Conveniently placed, Evan grabbed a rose from the garden next to the rock and handed it to her. She smiled and took it. ?Making friends isn?t easy, but it happened. You met me, and I think that I can be as good as three friends to you. And you can go home as soon as we get the scoring of the final?? His voice trailed as the loud speaker went off.

?Ms. Larsex?s Comparative Xenobiology class, attention please. The final exams have been corrected and are waiting to be retrieved. Please proceed to the room to pick them up if you wish.? The speaker?s voice ceased and Evan looked at Michelle with a hesitant glance.

?Here we go; I need a seventy-four percent to pass the class. As for you, you need something like a 49% to fail. You?ll ace it and we?ll both graduate. Deep Space assignments here we come, watch out the duo of Michelle and Evan are on the rise.?

She smiled and then smacked him in the side, ?Would you shut up? You sound like a four-year-old. Lets go, I want to get the scores back before tomorrow afternoon.? She drug Evan off the rock and towards the main building.

The two arrived and there was a line that stretched out and down the hall, Evan and Michelle were the last people in line. She looked at the line, ?Evan, I have to be at my next class in a half and hour; we aren?t going to make it inside.?

?Sure we will.? He reached up and tapped the person in front of him, Nicholas Takon. ?Nick, can I go ahead of you? She has to be in class in half an hour and we need the scores.?

He looked Evan up and down, his green eyes undecided on the logic of the trade. ?A replicator ration, and I?ll call it a deal.?

Michelle, being a redhead and a person with a fiery spirit, jumped into immediate defense. ?Are you nuts? That isn?t worth a replicator ration, how about I beat some sense??

Evan intelligently interrupted her, ?Nick, you drive a hard bargain, but OK. As long as you give me a Velocity match later tonight to win it back?? He nodded and they exchanged the ration; Evan had thirty some stored so Nick was losing out. This proceeded down the line, offering two here and a couple more there. It took them twenty minutes to get to the front of the line and they waited patiently as the people in front of them discussed what they did wrong and what their final standings were in the class.

Michelle stepped up to Ms. Larsex and stared at her. Ms. Larsex rummaged through her pile of finals and picked out Michelle?s. She stared at it and then handed it to Michelle, who nearly fainted at the sight. ?Evan! I got an A!? Evan practically had to hold her on the floor because her head had swelled, ?I?m number one in the class! I?m a valedictorian.?

Ms. Larsex raised an eyebrow and tapped a PADD. ?Ms. Alexander, you will be seated as number one out of fourteen hundred and ninety-one. Not bad at all for all the talking that I assume isn?t just regulated to my classroom. We have sixty-six Valedictorians for this year?s class. We narrowed it down to twenty through attendance, community service, and other technical and academic merits. Then we were able to rule out those that were favored due to parental influences, and we got down to three. They will speak at the graduation on Saturday. You, my dear, are one of them. Congratulations.? She began searching around for Evan?s score.

?I worked all my life to get to be a Valedictorian. I want to be apart of Starfleet Intelligence. They don?t allow anyone in unless you?re perfect.? Michelle said trying to hide her grin that was encompassing her face.

?Michelle, in my eyes, you?re perfect.? Evan said as suavely as he could. He wrapped his arms around her. She embraced him back and he could feel her heart beat against his chest.

Ms. Larsex, being the woman that she was, broke the little thing the two had going. She coughed, ?Mr. Benevente, you scored one of the highest in the class ? ninety-eight percent. That puts you high in the class as well. Your official rank is seventy-two out of fourteen hundred and thirty-one. Not bad at all. Good luck to you, and if either of you need a recommendation for any place, you call me.?

Evan blinked with complete shock, but smiled with complete satisfaction.

The two walked outside; Michelle decided not to go to her other classes. Parrise Squares had just dwindled in her interest pool since she?d met the young Benevente. They walked down by the water and Evan sat on a rock and took off his shirt. As usual the sun was shining in the San Franciscan sky and the birds were chirping their merry songs as they always did.

It had been a long semester; hell, all four years were one part of hell after the next. Michelle walked over and put her hands on his chest and kissed him. Turning around and walking down to the shoreline, she stared across the water and a tear came to her eye again. She?d come from Ockum III and the lavish water planet was nearly ninety-seven percent water. She loved it and missed it all at the same time.

A voice came in from behind them, but Michelle acted as if she didn?t hear it. Evan turned and saw his flight school buddy Lance Quinton. ?Evan, you forget we were to meet today, about six minutes ago?? He walked up to the shirtless figure and leaned towards his ear. ?What did you need to tell me that couldn?t be said in front of Michelle??

Evan turned, his bare back to Michelle ? who was still staring aimlessly into the water. ?I need you to spell something in ignited plasma across the sky above Yanok?s Café.?

?What kind of spelling are we talking about? I have to pay for the fuel to do that kind of thing. And do you want it the northern sky, or the southern??

?Shut up Lance and listen to me. I need you to spell this.? He rummaged around in his pockets and pulled out a scrap of paper. Evan handed it to him and smiled.

?Are you serious? Are you going to ask??? His words were stopped by his friend?s finger, only removing them after gesturing to his homesick girlfriend. ?I see. I will pay for the fuel to do it, my treat and a gift. Don?t expect anything else from me.? He turned and walked up the path back to the academy grounds.

Michelle?s cool hands crawled up under his arms. She had removed her cadet suit and her bikini was on. Teal and metallic ? reflecting heavily in the midday sun. She wore it everywhere and under everything. Her excuse was always ?you never know when you?ll get a chance to swim?. Evan didn?t mind, she had a wonderful body and she knew it. ?I love you.? She said and they embraced lips.


*********


That night, as sort of a celebration recognition idea, Michelle and Evan met at Yanok?s Café. At twenty hundred hours is when Evan would do it; he?d longed for this day. He was a little nervous, but he?d expected a certain outcome and would die to keep it that way. She had the Ockum Shellfish. It was her favorite and everywhere they went she found a place to order it. It was OK, she liked it and it made her happy ? Evan wanted nothing more.

Michelle had gotten off on a tangent about her life and where the twists and turns of life were taking her. She babbled on relentlessly about how much she valued friendships and family ties. Finally, she made several references to her home world and Evan was tired of the riddles.

?What are you trying to say Michelle?? He asked as he finished a plate of spaghetti. Evan wiped his mouth on his napkin and the sauce was cleverly hidden in the folds of the red cloth.

?I?m returning to Ockum III. My transport leaves tomorrow at o-seven hundred. The Kilroy will take me to Deep Space 7. I will hitch a ride with an Ockum Transport, the Nefaritti, and will be home around midnight.? Her eyes filled with determination. ?I have talked with my parents and they have agreed that you are free to come at any time, bring your parents even, brother and sister-in-law too. You know the planet and the system.?

Evan looked at his watch and looked at her, he smiled. ?I have something for you, to make you feel better. Come on.? He pulled her from her chair and they tromped out into the street. The cool and crisp San Francisco air nipped at their face and ears, but it was soothing and the mist from the turbulent sea added to the freshness of the moment. Evan turned to her and grabbed her hands. ?Will you??

She looked at him blankly, ?Will I what??

He smiled and got down on one knee, he pulled out a small beacon. Evan motioned for her to push the flashing golden button, and she did with extreme confusion. A small ship, which was secretly piloted by Lance Quinton, passed overhead. It made some erratic movements and disappeared into the atmosphere.

She looked at Evan and was still bewildered.

He pulled out a small launcher from a hidden spot behind a Brinari Orchid; Evan had been prepared, and he set it up. It launched the plasma flare up, in conjunction with city codes and regulations of course. The yield was one-one hundredth of what it normally was.

It exploded into the air, and the plasma released from the shuttle ignited and began to spell off a phrase. It started in the center and began to move in both directions as the explosion spread and the plasma residue ignited like a line of gasoline. ?Will you?? Evan pointed up.

MARRY ME

She stood there for a second looking up as the plasma residue, which was bright green in the sky, began to fade. Others had come around and exited the café to see what was transpiring in the crowded street. Evan was still on his knee and repeated the question, ?Michelle, will you marry me?? He stood to and grabbed her hands.

Michelle smiled and then gasped in pleasure as Evan slipped a ring on her finger, ?Of course, nothing would make me happier.? They held each other as several people began to clap. They walked down by the river and held each other.

Evan brought her to her door that night and she wanted him to come in. He did as she had asked being he?d follow her into a Romulan ambush if necessary. They made love that night and a new path opened to them, but whether or not either one of them was ready to undertake the responsibilities were some things to still to be determined.

What he didn?t realize was that their happiness, though feeling eternal, would be cut horribly short.

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