<USS Avalon> "Watcher"
- From: Lyryn Cate <wistful_fancy@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: avalon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 14:12:52 -0800 (PST)
Watcher
By Senior Lieutenant Elissabeth Marksbury
and The Shadow
He liked watching her. It had long since transcended the level of merely
observing. She was a part of him now. Every moment that passed, every thought
he had, all of it was her in some way or another. Now, when she lay in her bed
supposedly safe from the world around her, he saw the true person. Tel saw
Lyryn Cate. Elissabeth Marksbury deteriorated at the door and her true
consciousness was exposed. An amazing transformation.
Tel knew that she was awake, listening. He'd taken extra care to come in
silently. He sat in the chair several meters from her, staring at her in the
darkness. He was there, but he wasn't. She knew he was there, but she didn't. A
beautiful dance full of intrigue and suspense, all culminating in the
game-shattering words, "You're beautiful when you sleep."
She sat up slowly, having had the fire of his presence under her skin as she
lay there staring at the ceiling. She no longer had to rely on her other senses
to know he was there, just as comfortable in the darkness as he. "I feel your
presence now, anytime you're near me," she said softly, somewhat in awe at the
ability.
Tel stood from his seat, hidden in the black oblivion, and moved to her
bedside. He ran a single hand through her hair and laid her back down on the
pillow. "It's the connection; amazing isn't it?" He sat down on the edge of the
bed, it gave a little with his weight, "The connection does a lot more than
just warn us when the other is near. I would like to think you'd already
noticed the change."
She reached for his hand; thrilled, surprised, feeling completely safe and
completely frightened. There was still that overwhelming sensation with his
touch. It was as if when they were apart, pieces of her floated away, but came
rushing back once she touched him again. "Comfort, completion, and... the
headaches..." she whispered. "Somehow you... take them away from me. Make them
your own, don't you?"
"It's a gift," he said simply, leaning over and placing a kiss on her forehead,
"I couldn't stand to watch you suffer like that anymore. Certain people deserve
to have a miserable life; believe me, I have met my fair share of them.
However, you do not." He stroked a lock of hair out of her face that he knew
was there, but couldn't physically see.
This 'connection' he spoke of was unlike anything she comprehended before. The
link with Skyler had been incredible, but it pulled at her, caused a strain,
whereas the link with Tel did the opposite. He fortified her, reassured with
his presence. He took care of her. And every touch, every tender gesture,
brought them closer in unfathomable ways. "Thank you," she said, stroking her
thumb over his hand.
They sat in silence, enjoying one another's presence. She could feel him
stronger now. Not enough to know his thoughts... but enough to know something
was not right.
"What is it?" she asked after a long pause.
"There's something else you need to know," his words echoed lifelessly,
bringing the serene moment to a halt.
"There's a lot of things I need to know."
"James is spying on you."
Of all the things he could of said, that was the least expected. She felt as if
the air had been wrenched from her lungs by an unseen force and that first
breath was a struggle. Her grip on his hand unconsciously tightened and her
emotions swirled a moment before she regained control of herself. "What?"
"He's watching, listening, monitoring. He's doing what I did, but for all the
wrong reasons." He stood, moving to the window, the starlight barely
illuminating his face, staring out at them. Tel tilted his head, sighing
heavily, "He's been assigned to observe you. He's not your friend, he's not in
love with you, you're his target. He's been lying to you all this time."
She sat up again, pulling her knees to her chest, thinking. After several
moments, she stood and moved, taking a place next to him in the dark. It was a
physical ache to be away from him, and that ache took precedence over her anger
and confusion. So many thoughts, questions, and possiblities ran through her
mind as they stood there silently. So much uncertainty, so much conflict.
However, the one thing she did know was that Tel wasn't lying to her. "I have
too many things to say to know where to begin." Her voice was cold and hard.
"I know." Tel nodded absently. "I can deal with him, if you'd like." There were
so many emotions running through his head and body that it nearly scared him.
Being in his line of work allowed him to distance himself from such sensations,
from the pain. The walls were crumbling and the barriers weren't doing any
good. She almost weakened him.
"No!" was her first response and it angered her further. That struggle between
the two different identities was clouding her judgement. "I don't understand. I
don't even understand why your reasons for spying on me were the 'right' ones."
Spinning abruptly, she stepped away and stood still, soaking in the silence,
reveling in the emptiness. It hurt like hell.
James... it had all been a lie; every encounter, every conversation, every kiss
and every caress. She opened herself up for a lie.
And now there was Tel.
He felt her pull away from him and knew all too well why. "I'll never betray
you like that." There was a pause, a stillness, "I haven't led you astray thus
far, have I?"
"No." And the frightening thing was, she believed him. She instinctively knew
he was struggling with their relationship, their incredible closeness, just as
much as she. But it was something they both wanted, something they both
needed, and she wasn't going to fight it. She fought James all along, afraid
to get close, and in spite of being careful with her heart, it had been
betrayed anyway.
"I know what it feels like to be betrayed, and I'm sorry that you have to
experience that pain," he moved and placed his arms around her waist to draw
her in closer to him. He also knew, in his heart of hearts, that his deception
in her seeing him was not helping the situation, but it was still necessary.
"He knows not what he does."
She leaned into him. "Do any of us ever?" she asked softly as she ran her arms
down Tel's covering them with her own.
"Good point." Tel sighed, "You know that he can't continue his eavesdropping."
"He'll stop or he'll pay for it," she said coldly. "I'll make sure of it."
There was another long pause before he shattered the silence. "How can you be
so comfortable with a man you barely know and have never seen before?" He
almost pulled away, but stopped, "We are so close and still you haven't looked
at my face."
She turned around and faced him in the darkness, his arms still around her
waist. "And I've more than once considered myself unstable for doing so. In
fact, I had almost convinced myself you were a dream. But," she reached up and
placed her hand on his cheek, "I have never felt like this and never needed
someone like I need you. I know you as I know myself. What does a face
matter?"
They were the most beautiful words he had ever heard. The sweetest thing that
he could ever recall hearing in his job as the war-torn soldier, the man
without a face. Smirking in that darkened oblivion, he took her hand and
kissed it as she shivered with the pleasure of it. "I think I've decided to
stay on board, incognito of course." Tel was seriously considering creating a
new name, creating a new life, and living it out with those on the Avalon. He
couldn't pick a finer crew.
The air left her chest in a rush for the second time that night, only this was
a sweet release. From the time he had presented himself to her, she had feared
saying good-bye. Slowly breathing again, her heart racing, it took her a moment
to compose herself. "That... would please me greatly." She wondered at his
plans, what he would do. Pulling him closer, she teased lightly, "But you
can't have my job," enjoying him with an even more open heart, now that she
didn't fear his leaving.
"I've got more talent than you think." He released his grip on her and took a
few steps backwards, away from the windows. "Two days from now, at midnight,
meet me in holodeck two. Run program Tralaya Prime Seven. Until then, I'll be
watching you." And, as he had done before, the stillness returned.
"Tel, no!" she cried out quietly, not prepared for his parting. It hurt her in
more ways than she expected. The overwhelming sense of loss... it consumed
her, even though she knew she'd see him again.
She stood in the silence, tears streaming down her cheeks.
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