Uninvited Guest

Posted on Sun Nov 27th, 2011 @ 3:28pm by Commander Sakkath & Captain Li Hawke

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Hawke/Sakkath Quarters

=^= Hawke/Sakkath Quarters =^=

From a dreamless sleep, the Vulcan stirred. His entire body was relaxed as it had not been in days, the only sensations he registered being the touch of the sheets to his skin and the warmth radiating from Li next to him. He turned his head to regard her, thinking on the bout of passion that had consumed him last night. It filled him with a strange sensation... there was no regret, but at the same time it was not the Vulcan way. When he was with her, when they were in each other's minds, the suppression of emotion seemed unnecessary.

She had touched what lay beneath his stoic exterior, and in so doing it had seemed illogical to deny their feelings, provided they were alone. To the world at large, Sakkath had to be what he had been raised to be. In private, he could be a husband to his wife, and he doubted that Li would be satisfied with a single mating cycle every seven years that the plak tow took him. He wasn't sure he would be either, even if he believed his control to be up to the challenge.

But those feelings, the yearning for one another, had not been the only things transmitted through the bond and the meld, nor the only things that challenged his control. There had been Rhys and the crystal, Norval and Suresh. The fond feelings that had floated to the surface of his mind as he looked at her were suddenly aflame with a bolt of intense anger, a desire to see the crystal shattered in his hands, or to snap the neck of that dark-haired man in the station's underbelly. It was all he could do not to leap from bed and see to both of them.

As if she has been physically prodded with his ire, she stirred, eyelids fluttering open. For an instant, she had that wary look she always exhibited upon waking, taking in her surroundings to see where she was. It had been quite some time since she was actively in the field, but the habit never left. Sakkath was here, home finally, and a sunny smile emerged. Reaching out, she touched his jaw, noting the tension. "Who's in there with you?"

He took a moment to compose himself before answering, repeating a Vulcan mantra that had been all too necessary of late. "A dead man," he replied. He had hoped never again to speak of Rhys Balasz, but the late Commander seemed incapable of leaving their relationship in peace, even in death. He turned to regard Li again, gazing into her eyes, wondering. "Do you believe he can deliver on his threats?"

"I do not know. Iggy was convinced he threw her across the room. But if it was a dream..." She shrugged. "Connor did say he was detecting a second neural pattern, one that seemed to lie along side mine. Sort of an echo but definitely there. He's not surfaced in the past week or so, but now that you are home..." Fear, sudden and sharp pierced her, passing immediately to Sakkath.

The fear filled him, and he fought to bury it. That was answer enough as he sat up in bed, the sheets falling away from his chest and back. He placed his hands together at the fingertips, lifting them to his face where he closed his eyes. "It is one thing to feign a touch, to move an arachnid," he reasoned, even rationalized, "and another to slay a man." He wasn't sure if he believed it himself. His mind, ordered and logical, did not want to accept that such a phenomenon were even possible. He did not believe in ghosts, or in an afterlife... but there were so many things left undiscovered in the vastness that was space.

"My thoughts, as well. I suspect that with Norval, it was a mental prod to make him think he'd been touched. Maybe." She fell silent a moment, the first dream coming back to life in her thoughts, with more than a touch of embarrassment. "That seemed so real. I was sure at first it was you."

"To influence the mind is to influence the body," Sakkath agreed. "That may be the most plausiblele explanation, at any rate. Perhaps it would be best if we spoke to both Commander Leroy and our newly minted Chief Medical Officer." Connor's promotion had, in truth, not been recent, but it was new for the Vulcan. "The crystal and this errant neural pattern must be dealt with, one way or another."

"Yes. I don't want a repeat of that dream. I've never even entertained the idea of being unfaithful," she paused a moment, thus driving home the point regarding Norval, "but that made me feel as if I had been."

Lifting his head, he nodded. "I know, Imzadi," he said, though hearing it had certainly been reassuring. "Whatever influence lingers, you are not responsible for it. We have seen the unscrupulous use of his abilities in the past with Oralia. As she was not at fault then, neither are you at fault now." The words came easily, and he meant every one of them, but they did nothing to hold back the urge to have something - Rhys's neck, the crystal - in his hands, to feel bone or mineral shatter under his fingers. The violent nature of the Vulcan race had long since been tamed, but it had never been banished.

The urge was not lost on Li. She sat up and took his face in her hands. Closing her eyes, she reached out across the bond they shared, easing him, soothing the violent urge, taking it in so he could relax. "Easy," she whispered.

His shoulders dropped as much of the tension vanished, his body relaxing from the taut state it had been in. As he opened his eyes, realizing what it was she had done, the lines on his face tightened for just a moment. "You should not have to bear that burden. I accepted it long ago, a yoke that I have trained to carry, as have my forebears." He paused, worried for her, but at the same time immensely grateful. "Thank you," he breathed, lifting a hand to hers.

"I'll deal with it." she pressed her hand to his, her touch gentle. "This is my fault anyway. I just wish I knew why the obsession. He wanted me dead, but still wanted me in that way too. Do you think it was orders he couldn't refuse? And to lose me to you was the last straw." She shook her head. "As for bearing this burden, I have a place I can get rid of it."

"His goals were confused, his execution far from logical. I cannot presume to know his intentions, even after touching his mind. He fought me, and the connection was brief as his life slipped from him." Sakkath briefly wondered if that part of Rhys that dwelt in his mind might somehow be responsible for the anomalous readings in Li's own, but only Connor might be able to answer that question. Something told the Vulcan that his day free of duty would not be free of activity.

He briefly allowed himself to wonder about this place where Li might vent a Vulcan's anger, but thought better of asking. There were some things it was better he did not know, given the nature of her work. Even knowing her mind, there were places and memories he chose not to touch, things their relationship had no need of. Perhaps it was from there he had come to know the dark-haired man... perhaps it was best not to dwell on it.

Slowly she nodded, confirming his thought. "A dangerous one." Her hands moved up, slipping into his hair, tilting his head back. Her lips brushed along his throat, moving up to cover his again before she spoke. "Whatever Rhys tries, I will prevent it. He is right - the quickest way to finish me would be to harm you."

Sakkath could only nod slightly in agreement, his head still in her hands. He knew there may come a day that required him to face life without Li by his side, but that day would not - he hoped - come for many decades. "We will confront this challenge together," he promised, "and overcome it as we did the last."

"Yes." The word was a tense whisper. "And I will see this finished. I promise you."

He extended an arm, wrapping it around her and drawing her in to him, the heat of her body holding off the chill of the room. Sakkath had spent much of his life in space, but he had never quite grown used to the cold. There seemed no need for words in that moment, though his mind still raced with possibilities. He resolved to enjoy what time they had together, before duty left his bed empty once more.

She pushed him back down among the pillows, fighting off the anger she'd lifted from him, saving it for later. For now, it was his time, he was home and she intended to banish all logical thought from his mind. What she intended to leave in its place was the pure, raw passion she has missed so desperately during his absence. Her lips brushed his and she stopped speaking aloud, settling once more into his thoughts.

Sakkath tried to lose himself the same way he had the night before, but the nagging questions and doubts in his mind prevented him from doing so fully. He placed his lips above her shoulder, kissing the soft, smooth skin of her neck and drinking in the scent of her, still reminiscent of the night they had shared. His hand gripped her back, somehow both strong and gentle. Whatever use he had for his natural strength against the outward threats that swirled in his mind, it was graciously absent here.

We'll worry about the rest later... She pressed closer, the warmth of his hands so very welcome.

Li's words filtered into his mind but the sudden feeling that they were not alone assailed both of them. Li tensed immediately as another voice rose in their mind.

I'd prefer now, actually...Welcome home Sakkath.

Even as they both froze, it only took Sakkath a moment to disentangle himself from Li. His first instinct was to distance himself from her and so he stood there in their darkened bedroom. His ears told him they were alone, but the presence and the mental voice that had invaded his mind told him otherwise.

He was unsure how to proceed, but if this really was what Li feared, then the logical course of action was to glean as much as he could. As foolish as it felt, he responded in the emptiness.

"Thank you," he said, carefully maintaining his Vulcan monotone. It wouldn't do to indicate weakness here, and he knew from experience just how well his control could be mistaken for arrogance. Perhaps it would infuriate his once-rival, encouraging him to reveal something or to make a careless mistake.

Sorry to interrupt...well, not really. I see she cannot control her urges any more now than she did when she was seeing you behind my back. The tone was sarcastic and on the bed Li hissed.

Rising, she put on a robe, then moved to the edge of the room. She was silent now but she reached out mentally, letting go of just a bit of Sakkath's earlier anger. Get out.

The room seemed to shimmer for a moment and the voice was once more in their thoughts.

Be ready, Sakkath. I think I'll enjoy this...

And immediately, they were alone once more.

The Vulcan lifted a brow, turning to face Li. "Situational and historical awareness," he said, taking at least those two things away from the encounter. "Fascinating, if frustrating." That meant it could in fact be Rhys. He took several long strides, moving past her and into the living area of their quarters where he collected the tricorder from his desk, clearly unbothered by his lack of clothing. Modesty, it seemed, was based in emotion.

He was actually grateful for the puzzle, it gave him a goal to work towards as he scanned the room, something into which he could pour himself and that could dwarf any other impulses within him. If Li had not drawn some of his rage from him, however, it was likely he would be on his way to the science labs and the purported source of the intrustion even now.

She let out a slow breath, leaning back against the wall. "Anything?"

He could only shake his head in response, a twinge of regret passing over the bond. He would have to keep the device on hand, in the event that such transpired again. And what had that shimmering effect been, he wondered?

"Well, he accomplished one thing, he has a real sure-fire way of killing a mood." She managed a smile, pushing away from the wall. "Though I have to admit, I got a smile from watching you sprint naked into the living room."

Sakkath glanced down for a moment and then back at her. "Taking time to dress might have been the difference between finding residual traces and discovering nothing," was all he had to say in response to that as he closed the tricorder and set it on his nightstand. "Though perhaps this would be an adequate time to prepare myself for the rest of the day."

"Indeed." She crossed to where he stood and stopped, her hands resting on his chest. "I have a few things to go over with Nenita regarding an issue down in the Pit. After a shower and some breakfast."

He nodded along, noting that if anything did befall him, she would at least not come to harm. He had several people - and one arachnid - he needed to see now, and hoped he would not also be endangering them in the process as he moved towards their bathroom and activated the sonic shower. "Would you care to join me?" he asked, feeling as though he already knew the answer.

"I've been waiting too long for this." She kissed his cheek, then turned to lead the way to the bath.

*********

Lieutenant Commander Sakkath
Unbothered

Lieutenant Commander Li Hawke
Unsettled

&

Rhys?
Uninvited