<USS Banshee> "Wine, Roses, & Candlelight"
- From: "Brad Ruder" <GroundZero@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussbanshee@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 08:08:35 -0700
?Wine, Roses, & Candlelight?
by Ensign
Sara Crusher
& Lt. Joshua Asper The
gray two-toned corridors rose up before him. Josh Asper quickened his
gait down the hallway; his intended destination was the quarters of
the lovely Ensign Sara Crusher. His black dress pants rustled
together as he took stride after stride. His blue button-up shirt,
bringing out the color in his eyes, made soft swishing noises as his
arms strode in time with his legs. In his fists, clenched, were a
dozen roses. The soft, fragrant aroma filled his nose as he
approached her door. Suiting his character, he had told Sara nothing
of his arrival, she had thought that he would be on shift for the
day.
He reached forward and tapped the chime on the doorframe,
here we go, he thought.
Sara had just stepped out of the bath
when her door chime rang. "Who in the galaxy could that be." She
asked out load as she grabbed her black silk robe from the bed. She
roughly toweled her hair as she approached her door. She tied the
belt of her robe tighter and the reached for the lock button. She
could feel a smile tug at her lips at the same time as rosy warmth
crossed her cheeks. "Josh? What are you doing here?"
A smile
spread across his face, his eyes drifted over her robed frame. He
faltered for a minute, his mind wandering elsewhere and away from his
current mindset, towards the more-important body of his girlfriend.
"Uh...uh...hi." Josh stammered, as his eyes seemed to stay locked on
her amazing body. He shoved the roses forward, almost harshly, into
Sara's arms. "I got these for you." Josh managed to lift his straying
eye above the chest and into her eyes.
Sara let a playful
grin escape her lips as she watched Josh eyeing her. Then before she
could do the same to him, he had placed a dozen yellow roses in her
arms. "Oh Josh, they're beautiful." She smiled them, allowing their
wonderful scent to take over her senses before taking Josh by the
hand and leading him into her quarters. It was one thing to allow him
to look at her in her robe, it was another for a passing officer. She
placed the roses in a vase and then wrapped her arms around his neck
giving him a very deep kiss. But almost as soon as she had started,
she stopped. "What are you doing here...you?re on duty and this ship
has eyes...are you crazy?"
Josh smiled and pecked her on the
lips again, "Anything to see you, baby. Nope, I lied; I traded shifts
with Lark. Don't worry, last time we were confronted by Morrigan, I
almost wet myself." Josh allowed himself to relax as he sat on the
edge of the bed, holding both her hands in his. He stared up at her
and then realized his position.
He bolted to his feet and to
the other side of her, hoping that she wouldn't notice his sudden
change in demeanor. Then he realized that she wasn't ready at all for
what he had planned. "You should get dressed."
She laughed as
she watched he rush to her other side. She playfully walked over to
the other side of her bedroom and tossed her damp towel into her
bathroom. "And what is it that I'm getting ready for." She asked
never losing her smile. She pretty much had an idea of what to wear
by the looks of his clothes, but she wasn't about to pass up a chance
to mess with him. "It's been so long since we've gone out I think
I've forgotten what to wear on a Joshua Asper-planned date." She
teased as she placed a small hand on his chest. She looked up at him
and bit her lower lip as she waited for his reply.
Many
thoughts had leaped from his cortical pathways and into his brain. He
licked his lips, almost instinctively, and then a smile the size of
the ship stretched across his face. "You know, wearing nothing had
crossed my mind a couple of times." Josh joked as he stepped into her
closet and weeded through mounds of clothing. He quickly stepped back
out, "I could lose my life in there, you can handle it."
Sara
huffed in protest as she walked over to him and slapped him playful
on the arm and in the back of the head. Then she laughed as she
pushed him away from her closet. "The arm was for the dirty thoughts
in that head of yours and the smack in the head was for the remark
about my closet." She pushed him out of her bedroom and into the
living. "You wait out here. Make yourself at home and I'll be right
out." Then she turned to leave and just before disappearing into her
room she called back. "And no wise cracks about how long I'll be."
She hurried to her closet and pulled out a very simple black dress
and slid it on the bed as she rushed to dry her hair and put on her
make-up.
Josh watched in awe as she pranced around, doing what
needed to be done. He felt loved and wanted; after all, all her
commotion and random actions were directed for his needs and
requests. Josh sat on the couch and gazed at the busy body quickly
walk around the room. He smiled and raised his voice; "I love you."
He couldn't remember if he'd said it before, but it came out right
this time.
Sara was standing on one leg as she tried to slip
her small black strap heel on when she heard his words from the room.
She dropped the shoe and collapsed on to the bed. Had he just said
what she thought he had? Her tiny hands trembled as she fastened the
thin straps of her shoes. She shook off the feelings she was unsure
of and allowed the ones she knew well to wash over her as she walked
towards the door. Should she say it back? She felt it back; she was
in love with him. Maybe he had meant it in a different way then she
had thought. Sara stood in the doorway of her bedroom in the little
black dress. It came just above her knees, was low cut in the front,
and even lower cut in the back. It gracefully came off her shoulders
which played stage to the dancing red curls that flowed down from an
invisible clip.
Josh's eyes went from love to an almost
instant peril. He stood quickly to his feet and his eyes encircled
the room. He didn't know what to do, the look that he saw in her
perfect face was not of her returned feelings. He stepped towards the
door, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean too..." He began to panic, his eyes
sought the door and took a step towards it. His face flashed an
embarrassed red as he took another, unsure of how to
proceed.
That was not the reaction she was hoping for, but
what she was sensing from him made up for it. "Josh wait." She asked
as she moved closer to him. "Don't apologize." She grabbed him by the
arm and pulled him close. "I should be the one apologizing." She took
a deep breath as she placed her hand on his face. "I have never felt
this was about a man before in my life. I have spent many nights
sitting in that chair trying to figure out how I feel about you." She
could see the fear, the love, and the risk in his eyes. "I told you
once in the turbolift that I thought I was falling in love with
you...when I heard you say those words just now it made me realize
something."
Millions of thoughts raced through his head, he
didn't know what she was going to say. A part of him was horrified,
the other was enticed; but, above all, he was curious. This could go
one way or the other. He took a breath. "And that is...?" He trailed
off so she could answer inquiry.
"I've fallen." She whispered
as she leaned in closer to him. "I love you too." She whispered into
his ear just before kissing him. She could feel his strong arms wrap
around her as the simple kiss turned into something that they had
never experienced before. The emotions she felt became sweeter as
well as more bitter. She was in love with Josh; she knew that now.
There was still a problem; she also loved someone else, not in the
same way, or was it?
As the kiss became more intense Sara's
mind went blank and she was happy with that. She wanted nothing more
then to be right there in that moment with the man she
loved.
Josh's lips moved quickly and he savored the scent of
her body. He let the taste of her lips stay on his lips as he worked
his own lips to match the movement of hers. He didn't want to stop;
he was enjoying himself. Every moment that he spent with her he
enjoyed more and more, no matter the time of day or their setting. He
removed his lip lock and gazed into her eyes, "We've got
plans..."
Sara sighed deeply as she looked into his eyes.
"Well?these must be some plans." She teased as she removed her
lipstick from his lips. "What kind of plans?" She asked as she
readjusted her dress and hair. Josh simply smiled at her as she took
his arm. They stepped out into the hall and Sara blushed when she
noticed a young crewman smile at her, she also tightened her grip on
Josh's arm with out thinking about it.
His eyes drifted to the
gazing crewmen, smiled at him, and then hugged Sara. The crewman's
demeanor shifted from being romantically attracted towards Sara back
to focusing on working tasks; after all, that's where they should be.
"We're docked at Deep Space Nine, why haven't you gone onboard
yet?"
Sara simply shrugged her shoulders. "Thought I would
hide out in my quarters. Catch up on my personal reading since I'm
done with the data banks." She explained as the moved towards the
turbo lift. She bit at her bottom lip again as Josh stepped aside to
allow her to enter. She wondered what he had planned and what in the
world DS9 had to do with it. She recaptured his arm as the doors
closed on them. Then it had dawn on her. "You didn't answer my
question...what's cookin' up in the cute little mind of yours?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Josh loved playing with her
head; it was one of the little things that they did with each other.
"It doesn't involve the Banshee, or DS9, it involves a much better
scenery. Computer, Deck Six." He said as the turbolift shuddered and
proceeded to the desired deck.
Well that increased her
curiosity by ten percent. She thought about finding out for herself
but then decided not too. She wasn't sure if what had happened in the
ready room was a fluke or not, so allowing herself into his thoughts
wasn't a great idea. Besides the game was way too much fun. "Well if
the ship and the station are not involved." She started as the doors
opened. "That only leaves?what?" She smiled at him again as the
walked down the hall. He had cut his stride in half so he could walk
smoothly beside her.
Josh slowly walked down the corridor.
His eyes met the doorway at the end of the hallway. He knew that she
hadn't guessed what they were doing or where they were going. His
took a breath and approached the door. "Want to go for a shuttle
ride?" His mouth turned up in a smirk and his arm reached for the
button to open the door.
This was getting better and better.
She thought to herself as she look at him and then at the shuttle bay
doors. "A shuttle ride?" She asked. She couldn't help have a million
thoughts in her head. He asked first, right? What is it we could be
doing on a shuttle? Is this payback for him having to ride a horse in
his dress pants? Sara turned her gaze back to him. ?Why not?? She
said. ?Knowing you this should be fun.?
The door hissed open
and Josh put up his arm, motioning her in first. They entered the
shuttle bay and walked towards the lone shuttle sitting in the midst
of the large opening. Josh activated the door and shooed her inside.
They approached the top of the ramp. A slight glow emanated from the
top of the ramp. Stepping fully inside the shuttle, and closing the
door, the candlelight illuminated the shuttle. Candles graced almost
every surface of the shuttle, and those that weren't graced by light
had lovely red roses. Candles lit the path to the two piloting seats.
"After you..." Josh raised his arm again, asking her to walk down to
the seats before him.
Sara's eyes grew large as her mouth
opened in surprise. "Oh Josh!" Was the only thing she could get out
as she watched the candle light dance all around her. She carefully
walked towards the front seats and gracefully lowered herself into
the co-pilot's chair. Crossing her legs and tucking her dress under
her in a very prim way, she looked around the cabin of the shuttle
again. "This is?How did?" She couldn't get the full questions out and
giggled a bit when she noticed how she was acting.
"All I can
say is that I did this with proper planning, and a lot of help from
people." Josh pulled a bottle of wine from behind his seat as he sat
down, and placed it in the ice bucket that sat atop the console.
"Would you care for a glass?"
Sara nodded her head and smiled.
She watched as Josh poured two glasses. "Proper planning is good."
She joked as she took the glass he handed her. "I can't believe you
would go though this much trouble for me. I know getting permission
to use a shuttle like this much have been a pain." She took a small
sip of the wine, it's flavor surprising her. "Is this what I think it
is?" She asked.
Josh nodded and smiled while he sipped his
own glass. "Yes, it's what you think it is. Are you ready to go?"
How did he know her favorite wine, her favorite flowers, or
the fact that she adored candlelight? OK, the last was a given seeing
as how her quarters were full of candles. But she could hardly
believe he would take the time to find out the other things. "Go
where?" She asked.
Josh leaned over and tapped the consoles
and the shuttle's warp ignition systems engaged. "For a ride,
remember?" The doors opened and the shuttle lifted from the deck. The
engines engaged and they were carried off the ship. His fingers moved
nimbly over the console as the warp drive came on-line. "Destination
Sirrus Five."
"Sirrus five?" She asked as she watched the
Banshee becoming smaller and smaller. "Are we allowed to go that far
from the ship?" She asked. She hated the fact that her fleetness was
over taking her wanting to just go for it. She had to be sure. She
knew that he wouldn't do anything to get them in trouble, but she had
been twice barbecued and wasn't looking to make it a
threepeat.
"Special request approved by Morrigan herself. As
long as we don't stay out after curfew." Josh laughed as the warp
engines engaged in the maximum warp four. Within a couple of minutes
they arrived in Sirrus space. The planet, looming like a monster up
ahead, was dark for the trinary stars were all behind it. The
makeshift eclipse was beautiful in itself, but not what Josh had
planned. "Do you know anything about the Sirrus Trinary Star
Cycles?"
There was something surreal about hovering there in
space with nothing and no one but herself and Josh. It was wonderful
in away, no tricorders, uniforms, hyposprays or blasted data PADDs
within hundreds of kilometers. She barely caught the end of his
question. "Not a thing." She answered him.
Josh leaned back
in his chair, clutching his wineglass in his palm. "It's amazing,
three suns so close. One point, every sixteen years, they surround
the planet almost perfectly and the ENTIRE planet is illuminated.
From here, the suns are so bright you'll complete lose sight of the
planet." Josh pointed and then looked at his chronometer, "Here we
go."
The suns illuminated the black portions of the planet as
the light smeared across the surface like a blanket had been removed
from the surface. The brightness increased and the planet started to
fade. After a minute or two it complete disappeared from the view of
the people in the shuttle. "It's beautiful, my parent's showed me
this when I was younger. I promised them that next time this happened
I would show someone, you." Josh let his gaze drift to her eyes, and
it stayed there.
Sara stared out the window of the shuttle. It
was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen. By the time it
had ended she was speechless and her eyes had started to fill with
tears. Those tears rolled down her cheek when she turned to face
Josh. His words, the emotions behind them, "You wanted to shared this
me?" She asked in disbelief. "Josh, I don't know what to say." She
stood the best she could from her chair and moved closer to him. She
sat gently on his lap and placed her hands on his face before leaning
in and kissing him.
Josh looked deep into her eyes. "Yes, I
wanted to share this with you. You mean the world to me, Sara. I
don't want our love to disappear like that planet did. I love you."
He realized that his emotions, thought to be harnessed and buried,
were flowing from him like a river. He loved her, and now he realized
that he wasn't just telling himself that. His emotions were telling
him. "You don't need to say anything, just stay here and be with me."
Sara rested her forehead on his and looked in his eyes for a
moment and she closed them. She wanted him to know how she felt, she
allowed herself to become venerable, she wasn't even sure he would be
able to hear her. She didn't say a word out loud, but let her
thoughts; her emotions at that moment touch his mind. Or at least she
hoped he could hear her. There were very few people she could
communicate with in this way. Sara remained in Josh's lap as she
turned back towards the window. Nothing more was said by either of
them, but Josh had tightened his grip around her waist and she felt
no backlash.
She was happy with this, with him, there in
their tiny shuttle away from life.
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