Have A Heart

Posted on Fri Jan 18th, 2013 @ 7:20pm by Jackson Banning V & Commander Oralia Zeferino

Mission: The Struggle Within
Location: Oz/Jackson's Quarters

* * * Oz & Jackson’s Quarters * * *

The Nexus was closed and after the usual closing up, Jackson had made his way home. Stepping into their quarters, he was quiet, not wanting to wake Oz up in case she was sleeping. He crossed to the bar and poured a glass of Saurian brandy, then relaxed on the sofa. It had been one hell of a night, he reflected as he took the first sip.

He hadn’t woken her; she’d been sleeping fitfully for the past few hours, but felt like she hadn’t actually been to sleep yet. Awake again, she had simply heard him moving about. Coming out of the bedroom with her hair down and just a tank top and cotton shorts on, she gave him a worried smile and settled on the sofa next to him. “Hey there, love,” she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Jackson wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and settled her in close. “What a day huh? We should get to sleep but I really needed to unwind a little after the meeting with Will, then a very busy night. I swear Oz, we close for a few nights and when we reopen, people crowd in like deprived junkies.”

“There’s a reason your place is the most popular.” She stole his drink and took a sip before giving it back. “An engineer came by. She had found some spider debris: boli, webbing, and some pieces of spiders, in one of the jeffries tubes.”

“Oh? Any way to tell how old it is? Or figure out how long it’s been there?” He took the glass back and had a sip himself.

“Not really. Fortunately, she ran the DNA of the spider parts. None belong to Iggy, though some of the webbing does,” she didn’t tell him how absolutely worried she was, how scared she’d been when the engineer had first mentioned the body parts. Iggy had been absent for far too long.

“So we still have no idea where she is. How long’s she been gone now?” He turned his head to kiss her temple. “And how soon do we need to move on it?”

“She’s been gone far too long. The crickets I got for her have all died,” she slid her arms around his torso. “I’ve already moved on it - I asked Engineering and Ops to keep an eye out for anything spider-related. Hopefully there aren’t too many spiders out there; and engineering and ops can’t do any bug extermination until she’s found.”

“And scans? No luck? If not, maybe we need to think about the fact that she may be off the station.” Jackson frowned, not liking his own words.

“Off the station?” She turned to look at him. “Oh my, what if she’s gotten onto the Hammond? I wonder if there’s an Iggy like her in other universes.”

He had to smile at her words. “I doubt that, given how she came about. But she’s been missing longer than they were prepping the Hammond. And Oz, I didn’t mean by accident either. I mean somethin’ more underhanded.”

“I was trying not to think of that option, Jackson,” she said as her brow wrinkled with worry. “We had to reopen the ports, so traffic has picked up again. And I didn’t alert customs till a few days after I started missing her; they wouldn’t have been looking for an arachnid.” She sighed and leaned against him again. “Things have been too weird lately.”

“So if she was with someone, maybe someone saw the aquarium. Maybe the video feeds?” He frowned in thought. “There has to be some way. I know y’all are up to yer eyeballs in stuff, so put Vic to work.”

“What? He’s your bartender... oh, right,” she nodded, “I’ll talk to him about looking into it. I keep forgetting he’s like you: one of us now, sort of.”

“Special jobs for special people.” He took another sip, then offered her the glass. “We’ll get her back, wherever she is. How’s everything else going?”

“We have Chance’s killer in the Brig and a Betazoid officer confirmed that Eli isn’t going insane. Strangely, the killer doesn’t have the memories of killing him. No matter, we have enough to put him in prison.” She took the offer and sipped at the brandy; its warmth spread down into her belly.

Jackson breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god. I mean, I know what Will believes, but hearing it from someone else is a huge relief. Have you told Eli yet?”

“No, I came back here after seeing Woodford at the Nexus. Wasn’t Eli off to see Seyla?”

“Yeah, I gave him the night off, all things considered. Jan took his set and I did the socializing.” An image of Ian rose in his mind and he muttered.

She noticed the muttering and looked up at him. “Socializing went that poorly?”

“Nah, it’s just Ian Bren came in and stopped to talk for a few minutes. Vic thinks he...well never mind what Vic thinks.”

Laughing lightly, she nodded, “Ian and his flirting with you. Vic told me. He said you reacted and then ran away.”

“Reacted? I did not! He really said that? He’s nuts.”

“He said that. And then added that he didn’t think I’d have an issue with it. ‘It’... I’m not sure whether he meant that as Ian flirting with you or as you bedding Ian.” Her lips curved in a small smile and she was obviously amused.

“Is there a big difference? Either way it’s a strange situation, Oz.” A sigh came from Jackson and he took his glass back.

“It is, but if bedding him would resolve it. Do it.” She shrugged.

He looked at Oz as if she were speaking a foreign language. “Now I’m gonna question your sanity, Oz.” He drained the glass and stood, moving back to the bar to refill it.

“Well, it isn’t like he’s a woman; he has something I can’t compete with.” Her grin was lopsided as she was trying to suppress it.

“And something I never really wanted. I have what I want.” He grinned back at her. “Besides, I don’t think encouraging him is gonna make it go away, it’ll just make him think he could have it. So not happenin’.”

“Whew,” she playfully wiped her brow, “I’m glad you said that, otherwise I might have felt the need to find a woman to flirt with and take to bed.”

“I made you a promise Oz and that won’t change. Not ever.” He refilled the glass and returned to the sofa.

“Remind me of that promise, please?”

He set the glass aside and pulled her into his arms. “Only you. I waited long enough to have you, now I intend to keep you, and our little circle doesn’t include outsiders.”

“Good,” she kissed him, “Sharing you isn’t an idea I’m completely comfortable with. I love you too much.”

“You won’t have to.” Jackson was interrupted by the chirp of Oz’s comm badge.

=^= Harding to Zeferino. Oz, will you and Jackson meet me in my office? =^=

She stiffened and looked at Jackson. Answering the comm call, she said, “Yes, Doctor. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Let me change and I’ll be ready. And you too, for that matter.” Jackson drained his glass, kissed Oz, then moved off to the bedroom.

Following him, she put her hair up, donned real clothing and they headed off to Harding’s office.

****************
Jackson Banning V, LTC, PDQ, XYZ
Owner & Not Sharing
The Nexus Club

Lt.Commander Oralia Zeferino
Selfish