[ussgeorgetown] "Rose Gardens"
- From: Elizabeth Bethell <ejbethell@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussgeorgetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 21:49:21 +0100
Rose Gardens
*by Vincent Aigremont and Jassa Kost, featuring Seymour Krelbourn*
"I'm Hennery the Eighth I am, Hennery the Eighth I am I am, I got married to
the widow next door, she's been married seven times befower." The cheerful,
yet tuneless tones of Seymour Krelbourn, one of the many gardeners in the
Hydroponics bay rang out across the huge greenhouse as he trimmed his tomato
plants.
"Seymour?" Vincent said quietly as he approached his friend. "I need to
speak with you."
Dropping his secateurs in shock, Seymour grinned over at the marine. The
tiny gardener took his friend by the arm and guided him to a bench at the
back where his lunchbox and a flask were sat. "Fancy a drop of me soup? The
Mrs has outdone herself this time. Her Scotch broth is something, I tell
you."
"Non, merci." Settling himself on the seat, Vincent stretched his legs out
in front of him. Dark hollows sagged under his eyes and his skin had taken
on a pale grey complexion. He pulled the clippings he'd taken from his roses
out of his pocket and handed them to Seymour. "Could you check these for me?
I'm taking a soil sample to the lab to test it also."
Taking the leaves without comment, Seymour stuck them in his pocket before
tucking into a large piece of crusty bread that he had dipped into his
flask's soup filled cup. "You sure I can't tempt you?" he said, waving the
cup under Vincent's nose. At his friend's quick head shake, he frowned.
"What's up? You look like you've swallowed a lemon."
"Oui. Sorry, mon ami, I don't mean to be so depressing."
"I heard about Elspeth," Seymour said quietly. Taking Vincent's hand,
Seymour squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry. She's a good woman, if a little cold
at times."
"You don't know, do you?" Vincent said with shock.
"Know that you split up? Yes... or is there more?"
"Have you been to my rose garden today?" He managed to say it without too
much bitterness.
"No, not today. I was going to head up there after lunch. Your reds are
coming on a treat. At the rate you're going, you'll win first prize for
sure."
"Non, I won't," Vincent said, finally choking and turning away.
"Oh don't give me that," Seymour said, slapping him on the arm. "You're the
best grower here, and you know it."
"I won't because I have no roses left! She cut them up, mutilated them! I
think she even poisoned what was left. That's why I need you to check the
leaves, maybe I can salvage something from my collection. Help me?" Vincent
pleaded with both his tone and his deep brown eyes.
"Of course," Seymour said, totally flabbergasted. "My word, are you sure it
was Elspeth?" Without waiting for an answer, he pushed to his feet, his
lunch forgotten, and bounded out of the greenhouse. "We've got to get to
work, if the soil is contaminated we need to get those plants out of it as
quickly as possible." He started ticking off things that had to be done,
running into his shed to grab tools and a tricorder. "Well bugger off then,"
he called as Vincent tried to follow him. "That soil needs a full spectral
analysis done on it, ASAP. Don't just faff about, do something useful!"
------------------------------
He tried to concentrate on the results flooding his screen but none of them
looked good. The soil was contaminated, badly so. She'd used some kind of
toxic waste. Vincent only prayed that Seymour had got there in time.
Dropping from his stool, he shook his head sadly. His shift had been over
for an hour so he wandered back to Jassa's quarters. The door was like a
barrier, a gate where everything beyond was safe and warm but successfully
keeping him on the side of coldness and fear. Pressing the chime slowly,
Vincent leant his head against the cold metal of the door.
Jassa approached the door cautiously. She doubted that Elspeth would dare
come back after last night and after what had just happened but who knew?
Unbidden, her hand curled into a fist as she got up to answer the chime. She
gasped in shock and dropped the fist as she caught sight of Vincent.
"Vincent! I should have that clearance changed. You shouldn't have to
knock," she exclaimed. Then she took a second look at him. He looked
terrible. Taking him by the hand she tugged him inside and said, "What's the
matter?"
"She killed them," he whispered. "My roses, she cut them up and poisoned
them." He allowed himself to be guided to the sofa but didn't look at her
and said nothing else.
Jassa sucked in a breath. He was so proud of those roses. He'd spent quite
some time telling her about how he'd developed them and about the
competitions held amongst the other scientists. She sat next to him and put
one arm around him. "Oh, Vincent, I'm so sorry. I know how much enjoyment
they gave you. I never got to see them except for that one." She tilted her
chin toward the one on the desk by the comm.
"And now you never will, ma petite," he said as he kissed the side of her
head. "Sometimes I think it is foolish to feel this attached to plants...
But that is not all she has destroyed today." He told her about his wine
collection, described the significance of each bottle that had been lost,
ending with the one from his father. "It was for our child, she has as good
as told me that she holds no love for me or the memory of our daughter."
She knew the subject of children had been a painful one and when she'd asked
him if he still wanted them, she had asked playfully. Now, she realized that
there had been more to his answers. She took hold of his chin, tilting his
face, which looked so drawn, so that she could look in his eyes. "Tell me
about her? What was her name?"
"Elise," he whispered, still trying to look away, ashamed at how such an old
memory could make tears gather in his eyes. "She was called Elise. She
didn't live long, her illness claimed her from us within weeks of her birth.
In truth, she never left the medical facility she was born in. If you wish
to know the true reason why Elspeth hates me so, that is it. I am the reason
that our daughter died, my defective genetics," he spat.
"What a pretty name. I can tell you loved her very much, Vincent--that you
still do," Jassa said softly. She let his gaze wander away but she reached
to stroke back his hair, a gesture seeking to calm, even as she recalled her
formerly clenched fist. "How could genetics be your fault? Wanting her was
the result of loving her before you even thought about her. There's no blame
to be placed for that."
"There are many known maladies that afflict children because the genetics of
their parents are incompatable. Elise had one such. Elspeth and I create
only sick and twisted things." The shame he felt as he pulled away from
Jassa clawed at his throat as he admitted, "I create nothing good, only
sickness." He hugged himself, slumping to his feet to wander over to the
viewport. "I should not have started this with you, it will only end badly
for you. I'm sorry."
She watched him a moment, studying the strong outline with slumped
shoulders. she finally stood, approaching him with a soft tread. She reached
to gently touch his shoulder and slid her arm around his waist. "First of
all, I am completely a willing participant in this, Vincent. I know that
we've known each other barely more than two days but it's a good thing. A
right thing. I love you. And when we come to that decision, I'd love to have
your children. If we can't I'll still love you as much as I do now. More."
Her touch was like a healing balm. He rested his head on top of hers,
closing his eyes. "How? How could you love me more if I destroy that too?"
"Because you care, Vincent. Because even after all this time, you care.
That's why. I doubt you'd ever stop caring," Jassa said, her hand rubbing
slow circles on his back as it felt the tension there.
"I am an old fool, ma petite." Lifting her chin, he kissed her lightly. "You
are a wonder to me."
"You are not old, Vincent. Old is when you stop learning and stop wanting
to," she replied, smiling up at him. She hugged him with one arm then
glanced down at his hand. "What happened to your hand?!"
Turning it over, Vincent simply looked at the red wound on his hand that was
still gently seeping blood. A few pieces of glass were caught in the torn
skin. With a gallic shrug, he said, "I cut it on one of the bottles."
"Marines..." she said with a fond grumble. She took his other hand and led
him back to the sofa. She reached to kiss his cheek then said, "Sit down and
let me clean it up for you."
When she came back, she was carrying the small first aid kit that came
standard in every cabin. She knelt in front of him and began carefully
removing the glass. "You have very strong hands," she murmured.
"Comes from growing up on a vineyard," Vincent replied, his eyes watching
with dispassion as she cleaned his hand. "You need not do this, I will be
fine."
"I should certainly hope so but why risk an infection?" she asked as she
sprayed some all purpose disinfectant on the wound. She followed up with an
application of liquid bandage then kissed his palm before she moved to sit
next to him. "If you're going to be so sweet and gallant, the least you
could do is allow me to do something so small."
"Gallant?" Vincent scoffed. "I have marred your life by bringing that woman
into it." He suppressed a sneer as he kissed her forehead. "I am just glad
that she has not bothered you today, that all her energies have been bent to
hurting me."
"I want the whole package, Vincent, not just the pretty, happy, sunshiny
things. All of it together makes you up and you're who I want," Jassa told
him, her dark blue eyes quite serious. She had no intention of faltering
just because things might get hard. Had already started to, she added. She
took hold of his injured hand, loving its warmth. "About that last part..."
she began carefully. "It isn't quite true."
Loosing himself in the depths of her eyes, it was a few moments before he
realised what she'd said. "What do you mean?"
"She was in the mess hall, glaring daggers at me. I wasn't about to leave
and she kept giving me 'that look'," Jassa told him, unable to suppress a
shudder. "Somebody else made her leave, though. Some very strange friend of
yours."
Instantly, Vincent thought of Seymour but discounted him almost as quickly.
"I don't have all that many friends, ma petite," he admitted quietly, cold
anger building in his gut. He needed to go to Elspeth, to talk to her, to do
something about all of this.
"Then people don't know what they're missing," Jassa told him. "This man was
hard to mistake for anybody else even if I have no idea who he is. Romulan,
dark eyes that look like they could bore holes in duranium. He said you're
the one who's a heathen for drinking coffee..." It sounded odd to her. Maybe
he knew what it all meant. "He turned those eyes on her and just...watched
her. He looked like a Terran tiger stalking its prey."
"Revaed?" Vincent smiled. "Yes, I suppose he is my friend, though we've only
met once. And he's the heathen. If ever there was an insult to the java
gods, it would be him." Chuckling, he pulled Jassa into a strong hug. "Thank
you for this," he said as he lifted his hand. "I must go to Elspeth soon, I
think." He ran his fingers through Jassa's hair as he kissed her deeply.
She loved the feel of his hands in her hair. It made her feel as though he
spots were tingling. "Stay here. Sit and relax until you calm down. This
temper of yours is very high right now, mon Français beau," she asked,
knowing how dangerous an angry man could be. She also hoped she hadn't
mangled the words she learned on her own.
He laughed delightedly at her French and kissed her again, deeper still.
"Très bon! If I am such a beautiful frenchman, then you must be the most
wonderful, staggeringly beautiful Trill in the univcrse."
He was the only one who ever made her giggle. She couldn't help it. She
moved to sit on his lap, wrapping her arms around him. "You're sweet,
Vincent.," she said as she kissed his cheek. "You're a wonderful man."
Another kiss, this time on his nose. "Don't let her hurt you more. Revaed
told me to warn you. I don't think he trusts her."
Slipping his arms around her waist, he nuzzled into her neck, placing
feathery kisses in a line from her shoulder to her jaw. "I am inclined to
agree with him," he said as he pulled back. He fixed her with a serious
stare. "Promise that you will avoid her at all costs, ma petite?"
"I don't like the idea of having to tiptoe around her but for you--I'll do
it," she said, her eyes meeting his. "I hope she has more sense to bother me
on duty. The chief will blow a warp core. If I'm off and not with you, I'll
just get up and leave. Find you."
"Good," he said as he kissed her again, his fingers running up and down her
back. "Now, are you hungry, petite?"
"A bit," she admitted. "I've been kind of hiding in here half the day. I
even told the chief I had a problem and just waved me off and said stay in
and deal with it--no problem to him." She let out a soft sigh of
contentment. Those strong hands felt good.
"Then we will have to remedy that," he said quietly as he lifted her in his
arms. "But first, I think I could do with a shower, will you join me?"
"Mmm...I think I will," Jassa murmured as she kissed his cheek. "It might be
very nice."
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