<USS Avalon> "Present Perfect"

Present Perfect
Elissabeth Marksbury
and 
Bryce Quinn

*
"There are people in this world that do not recognise a gem for what it is 
worth, Lyryn. And then there are people who do. Look for those people, Nyen 
ching-duh, those are the people to fill your life with and you know you have 
the real thing." ~ Loris Mensano, "Past in Perfect"
*


The music floated on the air; a gentle melody that just made the ambience of 
the room perfect. The once upbeat tempo had downshifted into a steady and 
lovely rhythm. Bryce found himself grabbing ahold of Lissi's hand and pulling 
her from her seat at their table. He couldn't move and groove as well as the 
younger people, but he knew how to dance closely. "Come on," he said simply, 
dragging her across the hard wood floor. 

Offering a serene smile, she didn't balk, but let Bryce lead her where he 
chose. It had been a wonderful evening already, watching her friends so 
incredibly happy. Once they reached the dance floor, Elissabeth allowed Bryce 
to pull her close and move in time with the music. "Thank you," she said to 
him, sliding just a little closer into his embrace. 

"What for?" 

"For being here with me," she smiled, looking into his eyes. "For being you."

A brief second passed when he thought that maybe she had taken in too much 
champagne, but he quickly realized that wasn't the case. The aura of the room, 
the atmosphere of the wedding, and the attitudes of the many guests had changed 
her; and, he liked it. Smiling he put his head next to hers, his body and hers 
slightly swaying with the notes, "Well, thank you. I was happy to come along 
and join you in this celebration." 

Closing her eyes, Elissabeth let herself relax into his arms, truly enjoying 
the moments spent together. It was a feeling she didn't want to end as the song 
sped by all too quickly, replaced with something more upbeat. She felt Bryce's 
grip relax and they retired off the dance floor. "It looks like things are 
starting to wind down. Do you think I've fulfilled my duties as 'best woman' 
and can slip away? I already told Anthony good-bye." 

"I think..." Bryce started, but let his voice trail. His head swivelled and he 
scoped out the room. He smiled to himself as he tugged at Lissi's hand again 
and pulled her to a set of doors back by the band that had remained unused once 
all the instruments had been brought in. "We can get away. Come with me." 

Casting one more glance about, she stepped out the back with him, almost 
feeling a little guilty. Perhaps it was a bit selfish to duck out early, but 
she had been so wrapped up in being near Bryce all evening that the thought of 
a few moments alone was too tempting. 

There was a small path of stone that led away from the building and down the 
sparsely vegetated slope. It stopped at the bottom, emptying out onto a wider 
path of sand. Bryce stopped, kicked off his dress shoes and pulled his tuxedo 
shirt from his pants, motioning for Lissi to do the same. "This'll blow your 
mind." 

Giving him a slightly incredulous look, she followed suit, taking off the 
painfully strappy shoes that Melanie had lent her, suddenly wishing she'd 
chosen to wear her dress uniform instead of the light blue silk dress her 
friend insisted she borrow. It hadn't been Lissi's style at all, but Melanie 
assured her that it was breath-taking. 

It was a relief to feel the flat ground and sand beneath her bare toes, though 
she had to admit being a couple inches taller for the evening had been fun. 
"The sand is still warm," she said, pulling at a strand of hair that had 
escaped and blew in her face from the gentle breeze.

"Yeah, it's the amazing atmospheric controls this planet has. Come on," Bryce 
pulled her away from the ferns and the flowers and out onto the open beach. The 
sand stretched out in both directions, but rounded to two long peninsulas of 
sheer rock cliffs that created a cove in which the resort sat. The two walked 
to the wet sand, the sand that had long since been drenched with the incoming 
waves. The wind picked up as they neared the water's edge, but he paid no 
attention to it.

The darkness of the night slowly dissipated. That luring oblivion faded away as 
the piercing white moonlight streamed down on them. Off across the water, and 
to the far west cliff wall, there was a gap just big enough to serve as a 
portrait for a perfect moon. The moonlight danced across the water's surface. 
Bryce stopped Lissi, stepped behind her, and wrapped his arms around her 
shoulders lovingly. "Environmental perfection." 

She leaned back, feeling his warm breath on her neck and wondered at how 
perfect everything really did seem. It was easy to get caught up in the moment 
and she chose to. "Can we just pretend that nothing exists but this place and 
this moment and stay here forever?" Elissabeth asked with wistful fancy, a 
smile on her face. Of course it was only in mock seriousness, for she'd never 
dream of giving up her job or her career, though suddenly Starfleet and the 
Avalon seemed so far away.

A wave crashed and they were basked in a light mist that was a cool refresher 
to the still warm night. Bryce nestled his chin on her shoulder and squeezed a 
little before gently kissing her neck. "Right now, nothing exists but this." 
The wind was blowing, his white shirt flapped freely in it, and Lissi's hair 
joined in its chaotic flight. "I love you." 

Never before had those words reached inside her and entwined within her soul as 
they did that moment. Giving up the scenery, she turned in Bryce's arms and 
looked once again into those eyes - the eyes that pierced her shell and found 
the girl inside, choosing to love her. There was just a hint of moisture in her 
eye that the moonlight captured as a mist surrounded them once again. 
"Bryce..." Just go with what you feel. Stop analyzing. Just be. She lowered her 
eyes for the briefest of seconds before catching his gaze once again. 

He didn't wait for the moment to come. Like so many before this, he chose to 
take it in stride. He leaned in, his head blocking out the moon and shadowing 
her face as he pressed his lips to hers. It was as if time itself had stalled 
and stopped to let them savor the delicate embrace. It was like heaven on Risa 
until Bryce pulled away, his eyes finally opening back into reality. "Yes?" he 
asked after a brief silence. 

Taking a moment to catch her breath, she said, "Words could never express the 
person I've come to know in you. I feel as though my world has dwindled down to 
one single moment in time and this is it. You are it. I... love you, too." And 
then with the freedom of having expressed the thoughts and emotion that had 
been building steadily, she laughed lightly and said a bit louder, "I love 
you," before wrapping her arms around his neck and tiptoeing to place a sweet, 
delight filled kiss on his lips. 

Splash. 

In the blink of an eye they were soaked. A wave crashed upon the shore and left 
them both reeling. Bryce laughed as he stared down at his white shirt matted to 
his body, and looked at Lissi's hair that left her looking like a wet dog. "Was 
that a good sign?" He smiled as he shook his head like a dog trying to dry 
itself. 

Elissabeth threw her head back in laughter. "Environmental perfection, eh?" She 
shivered, and pushed a matted lump of formerly arranged curls out of her eyes. 
"If I take it back can I get dry again?"

"No!" He said, picking her up and spinning her around. "Let's go back to my 
room and dry off." Bryce put his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to warm 
her. They walked back up the shoreline to where they had discarded their shoes 
and his black tuxedo jacket. He picked it up and shook the sand off of it. And, 
with what could've been a twinkle in his eye, Bryce offered it to her. "A 
jacket for the lady?" 

Smiling, she allowed him to place it around her shoulders, gathering it to her. 
"I believe this is one dress Melanie won't be receiving back. Salt water and 
silk is probably not a good combination," she chuckled, leaning into Bryce as 
they walked. "Only I think instead of taking a replacement, she'll torture me 
with shopping. See the sacrifices I've made for you?"

"Oh, you love it and you know it." 

Looking up at him with an incredibly bright smile, given that they were both 
soaked and she had wet sand clinging to the bottom of her feet, she said, "You, 
I love. Shopping, I don't." Then she stopped suddenly and looked around. 

"What is it?" 

Giving a mischievous grin, she replied, "Just waiting for another sign. I 
figured two in a row and I'm staying the hell away from you." Before Bryce 
could react to the horrible joke, she dashed away towards the hotel.

He watched her stagger ahead, painfully obvious that she was not accustom to 
wearing heels. It was cute in its own awkward way. He jogged up after her and 
basked in her beauty. She kept looking back at him, flashing that amazing 
smile, and her hair bobbed and swayed with her movement. He caught her and 
scooped her up in his arms. Their mouths touched again and they shared that 
delicate moment again before Bryce had walked the extra ten paces to his room 
door. "Want to come in?"

"Mmhmm," she responded against his lips after wrapping her arms tightly about 
his neck and kissing him. 

Bryce pushed the door open with his foot and carried her into the room. "I want 
you to stay the night," he said finally, as he laid her down on the bed. 
Crawling up alongside her, he pushed a strand of her hair out of her face and 
kissed her again. 

Running her index finger down the side of his face, she said softly, "Well, 
that's one way to dry off, I suppose."

"I like that idea," he said just as softly as he placed his hand over hers on 
his cheek. He watched her for a moment, a sly smile on his face, and then he 
kissed her hand quietly before kissing her. 

Elissabeth's breath quickened and she could feel the heat and tension between 
them. Every other thought in her head disappeared and it really did come down 
to just the two of them in that space in that time. She kissed his neck, 
tasting salt from the water that had dried, and nestled in closer, boldly 
sliding her hands under his untucked shirt. She couldn't imagine anywhere else 
she'd rather be. 

The white shirt, wet from the ocean, slowly slid off his shoulders and onto the 
floor. It was a tender moment that had been put on hold for long enough. There 
was a instance of pure beauty as he kissed her neck as she kissed his. 
Tranquility settled over them in that time, that loving embrace; nothing in the 
world could've felt more right. 

As gentle as the ocean breeze or the subtle sway of the waves, Bryce made love 
to her. Two entities melted and combined to create an entirely new one. No 
longer just Bryce and Elissabeth, they became something that transcended the 
realm of individuality, something greater than both. Fully complete, they laid 
in each other's arms - a caress of slow kisses meandered their way up her 
shoulder and neck, causing her to sigh in contentment. "Is it redundant to say 
'I love you'?" she whispered, breaking the vocal silence for the first time.

"Only if you let me hear it every morning when we wake up," he propped his head 
up with his elbow. "Move in with me."

"It would be redundant then?" she laughed, touching his nose with hers. "Mmm, 
who would've guessed the undoing of your logic, Bryce Quinn?"

"I'm serious."

"I know." She paused. "You can move your things over when we get back to the 
Avalon in the morning." 

He smiled, "Uh, move in with me, what didn't you understand?"

She smirked, "My quarters are more conveniently located and they're not all 
cluttered up with stuff." 

Defeat overcame him and he chuckled slightly, "All right. I'll move my stuff 
over, but only because you have a bigger set of quarters. I don't know how I'm 
going to explain to the JAG Corps that I'm sticking around. Perhaps I'll 
persuade them that it is in their best interest for me to remain." He laid back 
on the pillow, his arm tucked behind his head.

"God," she drew in a quick breath, "it never even occurred to me that you could 
be transferred." The idea frightened her as much as the thought of originally 
falling for him had.

"Don't worry about that," he said, staring at the ceiling. "We'll cross that 
bridge when - and if - we come to it."

"Promise me something," she said, arranging herself comfortably in his arms, 
feeling drowsy. 

"Anything..."

"Don't ever let me go." 

Pausing to consider a response, Bryce concluded that silence was the best 
answer. He hugged her tighter against his bare chest and kissed the top of her 
head. Letting her go wasn't an option. He had done stupid things in his life, 
surely, but that wouldn't be one of them. Never would he see her walk away. 
Never.



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