Just Missing the Yellow Bricks

Posted on Sat Jun 20th, 2015 @ 8:21pm by Commander Oralia Zeferino & Jackson Banning V

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Oz's and Jackson's Quarters

* Oz & Jackson’s Quarters *

"OK, OK, lemme down!" Oz laughed as Jackson carried her into their quarters. "That's the farthest I've ever gone through this station ass-first."

“Ya know, that has a nice ring to it. You should always go ass-first but only where I’m concerned.” He lowered her gently to the carpet and laughed, knowing exactly how lewd that sounded.

"You're awful, Jackson Banning the fifth, now kiss me," she demanded.

"Oh, yes ma’am. Far be it from me to turn down a lady who’s demandin’ ta be kissed.” He took hold of her shoulders, pressed her back against the closed doors and kissed her well and thoroughly. He took a breath, then his lips met hers once more. “Too damn long, Oz. Too long without you. When they said you’d been stabbed, I wanted to stab things myself, namely the old Suresh. You sure the work they did there is good? Should Will look at ya?”

"I'm fine, J," she said quietly and took his hands in hers. "Come on, I'll show you." She led him to the bedroom, where she stripped of her shirt and showed him no bruises, no scars, nothing to indicate she'd been stabbed and bleeding internally three days ago. "See?"

He leaned down, taking a close look and running his fingers over her silky skin. “Looks fine.” He straightened up and smiled. “So says yer doctor. But then I might want a closer examination.” He looked down at her and his smile faded, his expression turning serious. “I was so worried, Oz. An’ I don’t think I’ve ever felt so helpless and unable to rush out and fix things for ya. But yer home and in one piece and that’s what matters.” He rested a hand on her bare shoulder, then slipped it up to caress her cheek.

She leaned into his touch; he was one of the few people she didn't mind touching her. "Hazard of the job, J. I ...I worried that, maybe, this once I wouldn't be getting back." Suddenly she smiled, "But Darwin had orders to keep me alive. And he did. So all's good." She held his face in her hands and kissed him, then playfully asked, "Wanna find out how good?"

“I've been waitin’ two weeks to hear that Oz.” His serious tone was gone, replaced by a low growl as he tackled her down onto the bed.

* * *

Jackson stretched and moaned with satisfaction. He settled Oz in at his side and smiled ear to ear. His relief at having her back home, curled up with him where she belonged was almost overwhelming. He ran his fingers lightly over her skin, enjoying the sensation, but mainly to reassure himself she was really here and this wasn’t a dream. Even that small touch stirred him again. He didn’t do well with her gone, he decided. The road to Oz had been a long, difficult one for him and the close call on this trip had terrified him. He brushed a kiss to her forehead. “Hey gorgeous. I called Gil while you were sleepin’.”

“Whyfor art thou calling him?” Oz asked, mangling some quote by Shakespeare, she was sure. Gilroy would have known the quote, certainly.

“To warn him that I wasn’t lettin’ you out until late tomorrow. I know he’s yours but technically, I outrank him so all he said was ‘yes sir’.” Jackson grinned. “Camille’s handlin’ my early set and the orchestra’s just playin’ for the late one. We’re covered. Unless the station blows up, no one’s botherin’ us.”

“Wait... so you get to go to work, but I don’t?” She sat up and frowned at him. “How is that okay?”

“No, no...I’ve put them all on autopilot so I don’t have ta go in. Vic will handle the place for the night. You better believe I’m not moving from your side. Sticking close….like a leech.” He laughed. “No clothes, no visitors. Period.”

“Oh,” she had misheard him. “Well, in that case, husband, that’s okay.” She laughed with him. “Did you see how well they healed my neck, where Suresh held a knife?” Bending her head back a little, she pointed to a completely unmarred spot on her neck. As usual for her, though, she was clueless about how her words might affect Jackson.

Jackson grew still, his eyes narrowing. “Held a knife to your neck? The old one I’m assumin’?” A mental image rose that made him want to break something. “What...exactly..happened?”

“Yeah, the old one...,” she lay back against him, recalling the scene in the cave, then remembered: “Oh, it happened in the hotel room. I wasn’t sure, at first, if it was the new or the old... for a moment, I thought it was the new one working in cahoots with the old one. Just what we’d need: two of them, always able to alibi each other or confuse everyone by being in two places at once.” She shook her head and shifted to look at him. “He woke me with a knife to my throat.” Oralia stopped her tale and inserted a sidenote: “You know, if he’d just killed me then, he probably would still be alive and running off somewhere with Li as his captive. But, no, he wanted a damned audience!”

“And revenge,” Jackson answered. “Revenge that Li would witness, all at your expense.” His tone was harsh and he slipped out of bed. He cursed under his breath as he left the bedroom and moved off into the kitchen.

He’d left so quickly, Oz hadn’t a chance to grasp what he’d said, rather how he’d said it, till he was gone. “Oh, hey, J!” She scrambled out of the bed, grabbed a robe and followed him. “Hey, I’m sorry. It wouldn’t have been all at my expense; it would have been yours, and Li’s, and .... J,” she hugged him from behind.

He stood, hands resting on the counter as she held him. “And I would be left without you.” He was silent for several seconds, then gave a harsh laugh. “Funny isn’t it Oz? We’ve had this conversation before, only it was reversed.”

“We did,” she nodded, her forehead against his bare back. “When you were reactivated. And when Chance was killed and it looked like maybe you were the target, not him.” She’d carried a fear of losing Jackson since before they’d even been together. Now, she realized that the threat to him was gone - the threat had come from Suresh and now he was the dead one. “Hey, you know that’s over, though. Suresh is dead - well, the one that counts is dead. The other one... he’s... going... to... be around. Doing something.”

“So it’s clear sailin’ for ya,” Jackson replied. Finally he turned, leaned against the counter and pulled her close. “What happens when I get sent out? Will we go over this again? Or can we agree that both our jobs put us in the line of fire at times and not freak out? Not be too overprotective?”

“It’s clear sailing for us both - Suresh wanted to kill either of us and he’s dead; you don’t have to worry anymore,” she clarified for him. “But... it’s my job to be overprotective. I have to anticipate any harm and work to prevent it. For the whole Station. And you. Mostly, you.”

Jackson smiled down at her. The only flaw in her logic was that these days, his assignments would be the sort that were unknown and thus, kept her from worrying too much. He kissed her forehead and finally spoke.

“There’s one thing wrong with your position Oz.”

“That I’m not on my back with you on top of me?”

“That too, but I was thinkin’ you have violated the terms of our stay here. You are wearin’ clothes.”

“Oh, so sorry,” she shrugged the robe off her shoulders and let it drop. “Better?”

“Ohhh, infinitely better.” He tilted her head back and his lips found her throat, moving over the skin there like velvet. Her moan broke his control and he lifted her, kicked her robe out of the way and made it only as far as the living room.

The tough conversation was over, much to Oz’s relief. With just a few minutes of Jackson’s attention, another kind of relief overtook her and it was several minutes before either of them said anything that made sense.

This time, it was Oz who rose and went to the kitchen. She brought back glasses of water and a packet of cookies. “A whole day of this? Couldn’t we make it a week?”

“You’d get no argument from me. Thanks.” Jackson took the water and drained the glass in one go. “But Gil might get the urge ta stash me back in the brig for kidnappin’ the Security Chief.”

“Hmm... perhaps he’d do me the favor of incarcerating me, too, for holding a civilian hostage. We could request conjugal visits.” She laughed and fed him a cookie.

“Maybe house arrest?” Jackson nibbled at the cookie in her fingers. “That is amazing. Or I am starved from all this exercise and anything would taste good.” He licked the crumbs from her fingers. “I’m gonna order dinner soon. I think Portin will be good for tonight.” He swept her with a hungry gaze. “Among other things.”

She warmed under his gaze. “Portin, the French place? Okay, but no snails. Or frogs. Iggy’s not here to eat them for me. Don’t they have tiny, dainty little portions? Could we have pizza instead?” She was still hoping he was sufficiently distracted that he wouldn’t return to the earlier topic.

“If you prefer, yes.” He pulled her close for a cookie-crumb kiss. “Anything for you. And Oz? When we get out of here? Remind me to find Suresh. I owe him.”

“Now that’s just weird: the man we have to thank for helping save me looks just like the man who wanted to kill me,” Oz complained, even as she kissed Jackson. “I’m still working through that. He claims that in his world, I was a tyrant who ran things by making people fear me.”

Jackson snorted. “Imagine that.” He let it go with a laugh. “Anything is possible.” He brushed the crumbs from her lips and kissed her once more. “The pizza can wait. Shower time.” He rose, winked at her, then strolled away towards the bathroom, giving her time to appreciate the view.

Appreciate it, she did, then she chased after him and took advantage of him in the shower. “Mmm, I am glad I’m home!”

**************
Jackson Banning V
Owner & Nudist
The Nexus Club

Commander Oralia Zeferino
Just the Overprotective One