After the Ian

Posted on Fri Aug 31st, 2012 @ 5:41pm by Commander Oralia Zeferino & Jackson Banning V

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Oralia Zeferino's Quarters

The room was dimly lit and deliciously quiet. From a candle, the light scent of lavender and citrus rose; it was the only source of light in the room, besides the small amount of reflected light coming in through the large view ports on one side of the apartment. Sitting in a lotus position, Oralia had gone still and was doing her best to meditate.

It was a practice she’d gotten away from in the past two years. Life with Connor hadn’t ever really been conducive to her sitting still and contemplating the life revolving around her. Life after Connor, though sad, did allow for such moments.

Of course, Ignatius had her part in Oralia not being able to meditate, as well. The arachnid tended to hang out, literally, right next to Oz. Though she was usually silent, just her very presence would distract Oralia and then Iggy would pounce on that moment of distraction to launch into a discussion about her most recent obsession. In the week prior to Connor’s death, the spider had been all about folklore and fairy tales and children’s bedtime stories. Now, the spider was interested in the effects of faster-than-light travel on physical bodies. Did it age them, she wanted to know. Oz just hadn’t been able to get Iggy to understand ‘quiet meditation time’.

While the arachnid was in class, though, and while Jackson was off running an errand, Oralia had retreated to her empty quarters, just to have a few minutes of peace. She’d gotten those few minutes, but not much more: the door chime rang just a second before the door slid open. Oz had already programmed the computer to give Jackson access to her quarters.

Jackson stepped in and seeing the dark and the candle, he stopped as the doors closed. “Sorry, darlin’. Want me to disappear for a bit?”

“Of course not,” Oralia leaned forward and blew out the candle. In one fluid, graceful move, she unknotted her legs and stood, stretching languidly, before walking towards Jackson. “I don’t want you to ever disappear,” she came to a stop against his chest, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, deeply.

“I think I like comin’ home. Mind if I go out and come back in again?” He smiled down at her. “Tryin’ to unwind are ya?”

“Oh, just trying to get back into the meditation groove. It’s been awhile since I could. There are other ways for me to unwind, though, if you’re offering to help?” Arching a brow at him, she let her hand reinforce her point as she kissed him.

“Anytime, sweet thing.” He stilled her hand, however. “But there’s somethin’ you might be a little more interested in right now.”

“More interested in than I am in sex with you?” Oz made that sound like the idea was patently impossible. It was. But she relented and stepped back. “Okay, tell me what this something is.”

“I went to see Ian this morning.” Jackson moved on past her and sat down on the sofa. A smile flashed across his face as he recalled how useful that sofa had been the night before.

She wondered about the smile; was it about Ian or ...whatever, she moved to sit with him, though her Chief of Security side kept her from snuggling against him. “And? Has he been able to sort out any useful memories?”

“It was an odd meeting Oz. I mean, there we sat, two guys talkin’. Except that he recalled what it was like to have sex with me, and I knew that the man I was talkin’ to had been a woman that I slept with just recently. Except now she had a deep voice, a five o’clock shadow, and a hairy chest. And still could compliment me on my junk.” He let go a slow, deep breath and shook his head.

“...,” Oralia opened her mouth but realized she was a touch speechless. She was also very glad that Iggy wasn’t around right then; she could imagine some of the things the spider would say about Jackson’s ‘junk’. “I... I can’t imagine what that was like. But if sh... he recalls what all the good bits are like... has he recalled the important parts?” While she was in Chief mode, his good bits were not important.

“He recalls Cass’ attack, and I had to explain that it was a case of do or die. If she hadn’t fought back, we’d both be dead now and this station in a big mess. He’s tryin’, Oz. He knows how important it is to get to what Nat was up to but it’s just takin’ a little time. He did say that it wasn’t Harding. Apparently, she called him a patsy just before she died.”

She nodded, “Natalia Bren set Harding up. He was a good cover for her - she could play on other people’s noble spirits by claiming he was the evil one, pushing her to do awful things. In her dying moments, she said she was supposed to live forever.” There were other things Nat had said and that Harding had reported but that Oz couldn’t pass on, or didn’t want to pass on. Things such as Nat’s claim that Section 31 was going to give her humanoid test subjects so she could do as she wished to perfect the “immortality” process started on Ba’Ku. Oralia had the distinct feeling that Jackson had been earmarked as one of those subjects, a feeling that caused an intense sense of protectionism in her.

“Ian said she did it on purpose, Oz.” Jackson’s voice was soft. “That the blow-up was no accident and that we were exposed on purpose. Then the check-ups ever since...if what he said is true, they weren’t because of concern for us but to see how successful they were. How could I be so stupid?”

Oz touched his shoulder and cupped his cheek with a hand, turning him gently to look at her. She edged closer to him on the couch. “Because, J, you’re one of those ‘noble spirits’. You thought she was in trouble and needed saving. It isn’t stupidity, it’s nobility. And it’s a good part of why I’m so in love with you.”

That white knight urge hadn’t been much good where Oz was concerned, he thought. Still her words warmed him. “And also likely to drive you nuts eventually, too. Where was that knight when you needed him? Sittin’ on the sidelines kickin’ himself for not doin’ what he really wanted to do, which was go carry off the woman he loved long ago.” He shrugged lightly. “As for this other business, it is what it is now, Oz. There’s no changing it. At least I’m here with the one man who knows just about all there is to know about what caused this. And I managed to survive whatever Natalia’s involved in. So it’s not a total loss. As for Ian, that was just...odd.”

“I’m sure it was, J. It sounds like something Eli or Chance would be okay with... but you? Have you ever even been...,” she paused, “...yeah, nevermind. Hopefully that’s one memory Ian keeps to himself. If it had been Iggy, you know that’d be all over the Station by now.”

“To answer your question, no, I haven’t. I can’t help thinkin’ that the parts of my time with Nat over the years that seemed real had to be Bren. Based on what we’re hearin’ now.” He slipped his hand into hers and tugged her closer. “Moot point now though.”

She eased into his lap and hugged him tightly. To draw his mind off of Ian and Bren, she sat back a touch, smiled up at him and suggested, “You know... that white knight of mine? He could carry me off now. Unless you feel the urge to keep thinking about a young man who knows your particulars.”

He grinned back at her. “Well, he is kinda cute, little young for me though.”

“Young? Really? What, eleven, twelve years younger? Is that your limit?” Crinkling her nose cutely, she chuckled and kissed him. “Besides, I thought you were more into the devastatingly sexy kind, not the ‘cute’ kind.”

“In his case I’d guess about twenty years younger. Besides, I have this hot brunette that routinely carries weapons while on duty and is a crack shot. Not into sharin’ either from what I can tell.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry about her too much. She and I... we’re like this,” she held up two entwined fingers, “...tight. I’m sure she won’t mind sharing with me.”

“Good thing. How much time ya got?” He wrapped his arms around her and stood, lifting her with him.

“What time do you need to be at work?”

“Tonight.”

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Oralia Zeferino
Jackson Banning V
Not Sharing