LtCmdr Ash MacKenna - In Your Eyes

[Marissa Jeffrey]

((Corridors of the Recreation Deck, DS26))

 

MacKenna: Is everything alright?

 

::The sound of her concern echoed in the corridors where the two stood. The question had been asked, to go somewhere and just be, to ‘get a drink’ and take in the company of the other. The answer had been granted, opening the doors wide to an entirely new path, a new step in life. And yet the two of them had stopped and became quickly wrapped up in each other.::

 

::With speed and haste that made her pause, the connection to this other being grew exponentially with something as simple as a good long look into his eyes. In a way it reminded her just why she tended to avoid the eyes of others, but on a different level. She wasn’t really afraid of what she would find in his eyes – she knew there would be no ridicule, no disapproval, disgust, or hostility – but she was quite concerned.::

 

::And in a way, that was entirely more terrifying of a prospect.::

Shayne: Yes.

 

::The answer was quick, strong, to the point, and one incredibly small word for such a big lie. That was the story his eyes told her, and in that moment, her own discomfort melted away. Still, she fumbled, not knowing the right way to be concerned. Though rare, not knowing just what to do prevented her from action just as much as her worst days of anxiety. But in this moment, that simply wasn’t good enough.::

 

::She had to help somehow, and that would require action.::

 

Shayne: It is… improving. Slowly. I… turned down the first officer position a few days ago. I think… I think that may have been a mistake.

 

::Without another thought, Ash reached out for his hand. This was something she knew quite well, the feelings of that exact choice. In the balance a career, the lives of everyone on the ship, and an entire future. Balancing the good with the bad, and doing it when you felt so utterly lost, sub-par. Unworthy perhaps. Ash had taken the center chair for only a couple weeks before proverbially running away and she knew.::

 

::Running away, regardless of the reasoning or viability of it all, was not as easy as it was made out to be.::

 

MacKenna: I…

 

::How did she tell him? There was so much she wanted to say, to tell him that it would be okay even though she couldn’t imagine how she could guarantee that. She wanted him to know that it was not a mistake if it was best for him at the moment. He had to know that one choice didn’t define his value here or anywhere else.::

 

::A kind of anxious desperation to help finally kicked her.::

 

MacKenna: Let’s go somewhere.

 

::Her tone might have been quiet, but somehow she’d managed to maintain her eye contact. In that, she tried with everything she had to convey a look of understanding. Was it coming through how it was intended? She could only hope. She desperately wanted him to know she understood, he wasn’t alone.::

 

::And in that moment she realized something profound. Perhaps she wasn’t either.::

 

Shayne: ?

 

::With intensity she’d rarely experienced, this connection cracked with the raw power of the universe. Ash was never one to believe in fate, or in powers that couldn’t be explained by physics, but this was something she couldn’t fit into the numbers of any mathematic equation of formula. Without question, she followed, not knowing where, or how long this journey would last, but knowing that she wanted to take it.::

 

::Her insides churned, but not from fear. It would seem that her concerns about her complete loneliness would be unfounded, dashed to bits by this one person.::

 

::Making all the difference in the universe.::

 

MacKenna: I understand how you feel. I’ve been there once. But it gets better.

 

::If it took everything of her, she’d find a way to make it better. She had to.::

 

Shayne: ?

 

::The corridors moved slowly past as they walked, once again with their eyes finding other things to see.::

 

TAG/TBC

 

Lieutenant Commander Ash MacKenna

Chief Science Officer

USS Columbia

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