Antos Plus One

Posted on Thu Sep 17th, 2015 @ 9:32pm by Lieutenant Commander Antos Lev & Lani Gellar

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Lev's Quarters

* Lev’s Quarters *

Sleep was a long time coming. He and Solis had played two sets at Lady Ella’s, pulling out some of the old favorite jazz tunes. He hadn’t sung that long in a while and by the time he was done, his voice was husky. The show had been a rousing success, made all the more special because Lani had been front and center at the table with Julisa for both sets. And thus, the reason he now couldn’t sleep.

They’d gotten home late but that hadn’t deterred either of them. Now, she lay asleep beside him, her long blond hair spread over the pillow. He watched her for several minutes, smiling as her lips pursed with some dream that floated through her sleep. He wanted to reach out, pull her close but knew she had to work tomorrow. Unlike him. He’d be cooling his heels on a transport for the next three days, which was another thing that now disturbed his sleep. Too many years he’d spent moving from one place to the next for the Fleet, often staying no more than a few days at a time. DS15 had been the glaring exception, but then he’d had to move on from it too. It was a lonely life and he’d tired of the isolation long ago.

Then came Lani. He’d known her there, briefly, but other entanglements had stood in the way. Even those ties had broken when he’d move all they way across the known universe, only to land him at her feet. And now, he was moving again.

He eased slowly from the bed to avoid waking her and slipped out to the living room. Settling down at his terminal, he pulled up all the arrangements for transporting the colony crew out to Valhalla. When you added in all the people, one dog, a cat that would be arriving with Tammy, and all the supplies needed for the first few weeks, it was a massive undertaking. He turned his attention to double checking everything. It was all set but it never hurt to be sure.

“Hey,” a sleepy Lani stood in the doorway to his bedroom, wearing one of his t-shirts and rubbing one eye. “You know we do have replicators on the Colony, Lev. You don’t need to worry about every last detail.”

“It was a way to fill the time and hopefully numb my brain into going to sleep,” he admitted. “Tobin’s parts shipment is essential though and…yeah.” As she approached, he turned over his left hand, hiding the inked prison number that marred the inside of his wrist. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I’m a light sleeper,” she shrugged as she moved between him and the computer screen. Cocking a brow up, she smiled, “And you are completely naked.”

“I am.” Lev’s sunny smile appeared on his face a moment. “Would you believe me if I said you were part of the reason I’m awake?”

“Yes,” she nodded and straddled his lap. “Did I kick you in my sleep?” She wasn’t entirely kidding - a past boyfriend had complained that she kicked like a soccer player.

“No, I was wanting to wake you and fighting that urge. I know you have to be in early in the morning...or this morning actually. Would Niall pardon you for a few more hours?” He slipped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

“Probably. Want me to stay till you have to leave?” She’d known this time would come but... it sucked knowing it was so close at hand now. “Just send him a message that I’ll be in late.”

“I do,” Lev said softly. “I want to load you on the transport and whisk you away with me. That’s why I am awake now. Once again, I find someone, find you, and like so many times before, I‘m leaving. To be blunt, it sucks, Lani. This time I don’t want to have to do this.”

"Neither do I," she smoothed his hair back. "It isn't so far, three days is all." Suddenly that sounded eons away. "We'll be able to see each other every so often. Plus, we're still following up on the Colony's construction and design. I can find reasons to be on-site."

He nodded but didn’t appear much soothed. “Niall relies on you as his right hand. He has since he met you. Why not present the idea that you do need to be onsite while everyone’s arriving and settling in in case of unexpected problems? Why not?” His arms tightened around her. “He’s still on vacation, yes?”

"He is. I can contact Adara. But I'll wait a couple of hours, either way. It's still early."

Lev smiled once more. “Let me call her. We can make it an official request. I refuse to be in this position again.” He leaned in to kiss her, a soft brush of his lips. “I understand, though, that he’s going to be relocating out here permanently. There’s that at least. Do you think you can handle the DQ long term?”

"I don't really have a choice. Yeah, I could go find new employment but I don't want to. So, I'll handle it. Maybe I could even convince Niall to let me work remotely." She slid off his lap and stood. "Come on, we can catch a little more sleep."

Lev stood and took hold of her hand, pulling her back to him. He rested his hand gently on her cheek. “We’ll work it out. At least this will get you out there for the short term. Then we’ll figure out the rest.”

"Exactly," she smiled. "Come on, old man!"

“Old man?” He scooped her up in his arms and started back to the bedroom. “That’s not what you said earlier.” As they vanished into the bedroom, he laughed, suddenly relieved and suddenly feeling a whole lot more than that.

************
Lani Gellar
Colony Bound?

Lt. Commander Antos Lev
Determined