Proposals Aborted And Secrets Explained

Posted on Sun Jul 3rd, 2016 @ 8:53pm by Captain Charybdis MacGregor & Captain Patrick O'Connor

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Taking Chances
Location: USS Bonne Chance, Deck Five, Captain O'Conner's Quarters
Timeline: 2265
Tags: Patrick,1stlove,flashback

"Charybdis, my love, you are Romulan, or were a Romulan, or part of you is Romulan... I'm still unclear about a lot of that. You were changed against your will, and only a handful of people probably know the tale. I do believe that to be the truth. As fate would have it, I myself am not so different. I am human, but I am unlike any other human alive..." He paused for a moment to give that a chance to set in.

"At least, to my knowledge. Years ago, back when I was at the Academy, people took me, and locked me away and... they did things to me, changed me. To this day, I am uncertain of all of the changes, only the changes I have discovered. I don't talk about it because if anyone knew what had been done to me, I'd be locked away... because, for all intents and purpose, I am an augment."

A long breath later, he continued. "I am not like the augments of the past. I am not one of Soong's great creations... I am far less than that. My senses have been altered, so that I see and smell and taste and hear and feel everything far better than a normal man. And then there is this little gem..." he stood up, walked over to his wall dresser and opened a drawer.

He turned around with a Klingon Daqtagh, and slowly walked toward her, the weapon gleaming in the light. "Don't worry" he said softly. Before she could react, he turned it toward himself and thrust the dagger to the hilt into his gut, and then grunted as he pulled it out.

Charybdis gasped as the blood spilt out of him and she ran to him in the hopes of performing the needed triage to save him. But as she reached him and she watched, the blood stopped flowing out and the wound closed before her eyes. It had happened in only a matter of seconds, but how that was possible was something that even she had trouble fathoming.

"To the best I can tell, I cannot die." he said softly.

Settling to her knees before him, she traced her fingertips along where the vicious weapon had entered him... where even the scar was quickly knitting itself away. She looked up at him from the floor, eyes wide and shining.

"So that's... bad...?" she asked hesitantly, a small smile finally coming to rest on her face.

"As far as Starfleet and Federation law goes, yes. But honestly, it has its obvious benefits."

Her hands gripped his arms and she used his body to pull herself to her feet, which were not as steady as they usually tended to be. She touched her fingertips to his chest, then looked up at him... her eyes were shiny and wide, and they searched his own.

"I will protect your secret with my life, and take it with me to the grave," she said in the most solemn tone that she could manage. Her voice was still a bit unsteady as she was still shaken from the multiple shocks in so many minutes, but the sincerity in her eyes was unmistakable. "If no one must ever know, then no one will ever discover it... not from me, and I will protect your secret with my life."

In the years to come, she would keep the promise she made so hastily in his quarters that night, though eventually he would come to live in fear of her knowledge of his 'condition. But then, he would bring it upon himself, as he did so much ruination.

"There are none before you, and there will be none after you. You are my one, and your secrets are my secrets, until the end of time. My heart beats only for you." Her lip trembled slightly and her voice cracked a little as she spoke the words... he would not understand them nor their significance, but he would likely simply apply them to his secret.

"On the bright side with this, you can stop worrying so much about hurting me," he said as he tried to be lighten the mood. "Believe me, other than damaging clothes or furniture, I am not concerned." He had that look in his eye that she knew rather well.

"Now then, I think I need to address one other matter... the perfume, you don't need to lay it on quite so heavily. I can smell you three decks away, and yes, I can differentiate you from everyone else on the ship. So unless you just enjoy torturing me, you can take it easy." He kissed her, and then lifted her up in the newlywed hold, one hand under her back and the other under her quads, all without breaking the kiss as he made his way with her towards the bed.

"So, about those kids..." he said playfully.

And that was when the dam burst, and she curled up on herself and began sobbing. She tried her best to stop herself, but it wasn't happening... her self control had taken one hit too many, cracked and she had broken down.

He wiped the tears from her face, lost as to just what was happening here. "What's the matter, lass?"

A few minutes of blubbering ensued as she worked to compose herself, and eventually she managed to pull herself together sufficiently to make some small amount of sense.

"Well... I duh-don't know where all of this came from, or whu-what I said but you called me wuh-wife, so I thought you were asking, but then you said nuh-no so..." Before he could interject, the ramble continued... it seemed as though once it was uncorked, this bottle would flow uninterrupted.

"And... and I'm not shu-sure but I don't think I can have chuh-children, because the guh-general had me fuh-fixed... but I want to give you chuh-children, I do. And I still can huh-hurt you and I'm still wuh-worried because they put a trap in my muh-mind and I don't want to but I might and so I worry and I won't tell anyone your secret I promise and I guess that's why we both match so good because we are both aw-augmented and I'm sorry I didn't know about all of the perfuuuuuuuume..."

The last syllable trailed off into a wail again that led to more sobbing and shaking, unsurprisingly.

Patrick sighed heavily and shook his head. "Lass, no need to cry. The wife thing... I can't... I've no problem with the idea, it's just a little sudden, y'understand? You have to admit that us going off and getting hitched would seem to be just a little bit impulsive at this stage. But understand, you have my heart, and if in a few months or whatnot things are where I think we both think they should be, then sure, I'd love to make you the one and only Mrs. O'Connor." He wanted very much to calm her... her being this upset was upsetting him as well, and he greatly preferred the calm and rational woman that she usually held in his arms over this one.

"You brought it up," she pouted.

"Actually, you dreamed it first." he said with a smile.

"I wait what now...?" she asked with a confused look.

"You dreamed it first. You called me 'husband' in Federation standard while you slept," he said with a gentle smile. "Usually when you have nightmares you mumble in Romulan, I think. But clear as day you called me husband when I tried to wake you."

"I... that's not fair! I don't know what happens when I'm asleep! How am I supposed to know that! I thought you just said that out of the blue, and..." She sighed, letting it go. This was a silly point to make an argument out of, but she suspected that it would come up again in the future, and they could discuss it again at that point. Reason was slowly reasserting itself into her haze of hurt feelings.

"Regarding the children, we shall just wait and see," he said, stroking her hair. "I suspect a great many things are possible for you that your creators either overlooked or simply were unaware about. Your telepathy, for instance. You are far, far more than they ever intended for you to be."

That brightened her mood considerably, and she wiped her eyes. "That's... that's true, I was never... I was never supposed to be able to do any of this, but I can... so... maybe... maybe I can!" she smiled up at him hopefully.

"And understand, I love the perfume, but your natural scent is far better as far as I am concerned."

An embarrassed smile accompanied her flushed cheeks at that. "Oh. Um... I was... I kind of wanted to... make your quarters always remind you of me, even when I'm not here... soooo..." She looked off at the wall, feeling foolish in amongst everything else.

Turning her head back toward him by touching her cheek with his fingers and guiding her to face him with a gentle turn of his hand, he asked "What made you think you wouldn't be here?"

Those big eyes, with colors that ranged from indigo to lavender, opened wide and cleared once more, and he saw the look that made him feel invincible, because he knew without a doubt that the woman in his arms loved him with all of her heart. She smiled... shyly, but it was still a smile.

"I don't know," she said simply, in a small and soft voice. It terrified her to be so vulnerable, to want something... someone so badly, but she could not help herself. She reached up and stroked his chin with her finger, tracing his strong jawline.

"I believe that it is customary for prospective lifemates to live together. Of course, I can understand that you will need to keep your own quarters, but I suppose I will need to make room in my bachelor pad here for things that say 'taken." He flashed her a smile and watched for her reaction.

The smile that he was rewarded with was beatific, and it was clear he had said exactly the right thing to calm her and soothe her emotional distress- a rare talent indeed. "Thank you... and thank you for sharing your secret with me. I know it means everything to you... it could ruin you, and it does show me that you trust me, even as I trust you. I will be worthy of it, I promise. I will never tell another soul, no matter what. Even if they catch me I will never breathe a word, I swear. Your secret is mine and mine alone."

He kissed her once briefly, "I know," and then he laid down on the bed. "Now then, I believe you have some decorating thoughts to pitch to me." He closed his eyes and listened intently to her voice, her breathing, and to the beating of her heart as she curled up atop him, pressing herself to him... the strange and beautiful chimera that the universe had brought to his door.

That heart beat very, very quickly and it was remarkably strong... and he knew without a doubt that it beat only for him.
And like so many men, he imagined he would need to do very little to maintain her affections, though in that he would eventually be proven incorrect...

 

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