A Reckoning

Posted on 07 Jan 2011 @ 2:46pm by Captain Antonio Vazquez & Captain Reva Madhava

1,807 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: M7: Shore Leave - Mercer Colony
Location: Reva's Quarters

Tired from the combat training and from the lecture Lieutenant Darwin had unloaded on her afterwards (apparently, she wasn't supposed to treat the training game as a real game), Reva retreated to her quarters. There, she bypassed the common area she shared with a roommate and went straight to her bedroom and stripped off her uniform. A shower and a donning of minimal clothing later, she managed to ignore the various garments, nearly all lacy underthings, strewn around and flopped onto her bed.

There she stayed, even when she heard the chime of the door annunciator go off. She wasn't expecting anyone and heard her roommate's deep voice answer the door.

[Common Area/Door]

Looking up from his meditation, S'etvel sighed and moved to answer the door's chime. The door opened and he asked, "Lieutenant, how can I help you?"

Antonio froze for a moment;, he had not expected a young, male Vulcan to answer the door. But then, why should he be surprised...

Later he would try and fail to analyze his behavior, but atypically he invited himself in through the doorway, causing S'etvel to move out of his way. "I need to speak to Reva...can you please get her for me?" he asked as his eyes took in the room. And then he looked back at the ensign expectantly.

S'etvel eyed the Lieutenant, frowning, then turned away to get Reva. He knocked loudly on her door and called out, "Orion, you have a...," he sized up Antonio, "a suitor here."

Inside her room, Reva sat up, surprised. Quickly, she tossed on a robe and joined the two men in the common space. "Oh, An...Lieutenant Vazquez," she stumbled and looked from him to her roommate. "Could we... uh... have the living room?"

The part-Vulcan frowned disapprovingly, folded his arms and said, "Tonight is my night in the common space."

"Riightt....," Reva glanced around the room and inwardly winced at the peace agreement she and the roommate had come to: he didn't like her one bit and, accordingly, they didn't spend time in the common area at the same time. S'etvel claimed her pheromones, even the bare trace left after the serum worked its magic, drove him nuts. Mostly, it worked because they had different shifts. This, though..., she caved and waved a hand at Antonio, gesturing for him to come with her - into her bedroom. "C'mon, we'll ...talk... in here, ...Sir," she added and stepped back into her room.

Inhaling deeply, he hesitantly followed, returning the Vulcan's hard stare as he passed him, his eyes moving to Reva as he entered her bedroom...his pace slowing down as he looked at her bed.

Once Antonio was in the room, Reva glared at her roommate and pressed the button to close the door. She brushed past Antonio and curled on her bed, up high by her pillow, one leg under her, the other dangling off the edge. "Have a seat... unless, of course, that's too close for comfort," she glared at him. Despite her recent anger with him, part of her wanted him on her bed; the desire caused a memory of his chest pressed against hers and a flash of heat to hit her. She shifted slightly and adjusted her robe. "What....um... why are you here?"

He had already begun rubbing his forehead in stress, and turned away at her question. "This is.." he chuckled, the stress evident even so, "I don't know what this is. But it needs to stop. No more games, Reva..."

"Games?" She could feel his stress and distress and knew it had everything to do with her. Anger roiled in her belly and it bubbled up as she asked, "What game do you think is being played here? You accused me of controlling you - but... do you even realize that you're the one in control? You're the one who always denies what he wants and feels?" Though she did use her pheromones and looks to control men at times, when accused of doing so to the one man she hadn't ever tried to control, she got angry. "Get out," she ground out.

Pushing away any impulse he had, he placed his hands in his pants pockets, and he angled his head, frowning at her. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that she had never tried to manipulate him, nor control situations with him in order to get what she wanted...but he did not. For reasons he believed he understood, he could not. Maybe all his experiences with Orions in his past had instilled in him an ability to see right through any attempts to control him, or maybe...just maybe...they blinded him to Reva's heart.

Ignoring her last two words, he said what he came there to say, "Reva, you have been through a terrible ordeal, and what I did... It was abusive, and inexcusable. I want you to talk to the ship's counselor about what happened between you and me, what I did to you."

Confusion pushed aside her anger; his guilty feelings were broadcasting clearly. "What? Abusive? What you did? What are you talking about?"

"What I did?", He furrowed his brows, and looked around himself. "Where I come from what happened in my quarters would be considered assault, Reva."

Reva wasn't thinking of the moment when he'd slammed her against the wall and scared her; she was thinking of them, naked and kissing. It was distracting. "If that's assault, have you considered that I want you to do that?"

His eyes pierced at her, his expression incredulous, "That's what you meant when you told me we were done?! What you really meant was, 'hurt me some more'?! Who's in denial, Reva?!"

"What? No!" Reva objected. She shook her head then realized what actions he meant. Calmly, she carried on, "Oh. No, Antonio. You scared me, but whatever happened... What did happen? Things were fine... quite nice, really, and then... they weren't."

"I don't know..." he trailed off, his thoughts going back to the moment, to the sound of her voice when she spoke to him, the expression on her face .when he looked up at her... And he was suddenly gone, reliving the memory flashback he had experienced in his quarters on the morning the Ballard's saucer section had been destroyed, and she and Doctor Hemingway had been taken.

She sensed his fear and touched his hand. The touch gave her more information: it wasn't just fear, and it certainly wasn't a simple thing. What, exactly, was behind it, though, she couldn't tell. "Perhaps I'm not the only one who should be seeing the Counselor," she suggested. "But I don't see the point in my telling the ship's counselor that you supposedly assaulted me. That sort of blows what happened way out of proportion, Antonio."

He looked down at her, confusion filled his eyes, but his tone was firm, "After you tell the counselor what happened, I expect to hear from the counselor, or for there to be charges filed against me. Unless duty requires we work together, I want you to stay away from me. Considering the ship's alert status, I am giving you 48 hours, or I will talk to the counselor on your behalf."

Her anger returned quickly. "Are you crazy? You would risk your career because of a momentary lapse?" She searched his face and eyes for something... not finding it, she sighed and let her anger go. Sadness filled in for it. "I don't want to stay away from you, Antonio. Moth to flame and all that, again. Are you telling me that for my 'safety' or because you really want nothing to do with me?"

He took a step closer to the door, locking his eyes on her as he looked at her expectantly, "For your safety...", and unsure of the second, he left it at that.

Getting off the bed, Reva stepped closer to him and touched his arm. "I can look out for myself, you know..., well... maybe not with a phaser or hand-to-hand skills, but this -" she gestured between them, "- really, I can handle it. You're the one controlling this, though, Antonio." A small smile slipped over her lips and she added, "I think you forget that I wasn't raised Orion." She wasn't sure where that comment came from, but it seemed somehow appropriate in the moment.

He nodded, "I have to remind myself often, Reva", and not meaning to hurt, he added, "You don't make it easy to remember."

"Green skin is tough to disregard," she agreed, knowing that there were many misconceptions about her because of it. She ignored whatever behavioral cues Antonio might be referring to.

And he nodded, keeping those to himself. She was more Orion than she realized. "I should be going, Reva", he pointed out quietly. "Remember, 48 hours."

"Don't... don't go, please," she begged him. Despite his accusations, his ultimatums, she wanted him. Besides, if he stayed, maybe she could talk him out of the ultimatum.

"Why, Reva?", he began caressing her face with one hand, looking at her both affectionately and accusingly, "What's your motive this time?", he asked pointedly, and opened the door.

"I have plenty of motives, Antonio," she said, taking his hand and moving it to her hip. "The top one: to learn from you." She deftly avoided telling either the truth or a lie.

He would be lying to himself if he denied he was tempted, but at the moment he was more upset and disappointed. He pulled back his hand, "Nothing I have said has gotten through to you, has it?", and shaking his head, he turned and left into the other room.

Acutely aware that her roommate would hear anything and everything she said, Reva conceded to Antonio, "Of course it has. I just think you're being...." She glanced at the part-Vulcan, who had one brow raised as he watched them. "...An ass. An exasperating one at that!"

He turned as he walked, raising his brows in agreement, "Exactly, so why would you want anything to do with me?!" He looked at the Vulcan, acknowledging his presence, "Ensign," and then raised his voice as he left their quarters, "48 hours!"

Growling, Reva glared at Antonio as the door closed between them. Behind her, her roommate saw a not-so-rare chance to needle her: "That was quick. And quiet. Much more so than I would have thought from you two. It doesn't seem to have ended well, though, Orion."

The Orion turned her glare on her roommate but wisely chose to retreat to her bedroom rather than engage in an argument with him.

At least, this time.

___________________________

Lt.JG Antonio Vazquez
Weapons Specialist

and

Ens. Reva Madhava
Scientist

and

Ens. S'etvel
The Annoying Vulcan Roommate
(NPC'd by Reva)

 

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