(JP) Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek & Lieutenant Orson "Bear" Marshall: Defining Moments, Part I
Lael Rosek
((Rosek & Galven’s Shared Quarters, USS Astraeus))
Lael stared into the mug of warm cider, the color taking her back to a time that she didn’t like to dwell on much. They’d been hard days and losing Maddy to the custody of that @$$ had just been a piece of it. She sighed, a slight smile touching the corners of her lips. Man, she and Bear had been something. They’d had any number of moments over the years where it could easily have gone the other way if either of them had had the balls to do something about it.
They were both a perfect screwed up pair in a lot of ways and complemented each other. The things they shared, though, also made them a volatile combination. If they ever had gotten together, they might have burned out so quickly that it could have taken them both down with it. A particular memory came to mind, one where she’d been the closest ever to making a serious move.
(( Stella’s, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Earth))
{{Time Index: 239507}}
Chythar had left a while ago, but she’d had no interest in going back. Between the upcoming custody battle for Maddy and the tension her season was causing between her and Jon, she really had no desire to go back to the hotel room. A bit of the whiskey sloshed out of the cup and onto her dark jeans. Thankfully, it wouldn’t stain even if the smell would linger.
By this point, she’d removed her black leather jacket and tossed it onto a nearby stool, exposing her white tank top underneath. She was pretty deep in her cups by now, having downed a couple more after Chythar had left. The neon sign above the bar was hurting her eyes and she grimaced.
Bear looked down at the tricorder in his hand again; the location details showing up clearly on the screen. He stood outside the bar in the muggy warm evening, the occasional splatter of rain splashing down onto the floor, bouncing up, rippling at puddles. Running his hand through his moist hair, he pushed the door open and stepped inside; the air of the place smelling like whiskey and regret rolled into one.
Pulling his dark shirt away from his chest - damp thanks to rain and the seemingly humid atmosphere that didn’t want to quit - he took a swift glance around the place with the keen eye of trying to find someone in particular. When he did, he exhaled the breath he hadn’t realised he’d held, and slid past the other patrons until he was within reaching distance.
Concern creased at the edges of his face, carving paths under his eyes; both of which seemed to pull back a little with relief as he lay his hand on her forearm.
She started, throwing her arm back in preparation for a fight only to find it blocked by his coming in to catch it reactively. Her eyes met a pair of familiar blue ones and her expression softened. He was the last person she’d expected to see here...but she couldn’t say his face wasn’t a welcome sight. She felt that familiar knot form in her stomach and she drew in a breath at her body’s immediate recognition of his presence. For a moment, she forgot just why she was here.
Rosek: ::rasps:: Bear, how did you--?
The question pulled him up short. He hadn’t planned for what he’d do after he found her, so focused on the mechanics of doing so in the first place. A momentary soaking outside hadn’t sparked any brain cells either. Instead, he sighed, ran a hand over his beard and met her gaze.
O. Marshall: That doesn’t matter. Are you alright?
Rosek: ::scowls and slurs:: The hell it doesn’t. Were you tracking me? How’d you know I was even on Earth in the first place?
O. Marshall: Stoyer told me. ::It wasn’t the truth, but with Bear, when was anything? He placed the tricorder down on the bar and slid it over to her.:: And with that.
Lael rolled her eyes. She supposed it was the Ranger in him. He had a particular set of skills, so it didn’t surprise her that he could track someone down when he wanted to. But why the sudden interest in her? They hadn’t spoken since she’d been stationed in the Shoals a year ago. Sure, they’d exchanged the odd letter or two, but out in the Shoals, even letters took forever to get. By that point, she’d had Jon and had been trying to put her past behind her...and that had included Bear. They’d had a good thing, but nothing was going to come of it, so what was the point in hanging on?
Rosek: ::mutters:: Of course you did.
She reached for another shot of whiskey and took it down in one gulp, barely flinching. She could handle it. It was highly likely she was getting a cab back to her and Jon’s shared hotel room anyway.
Bear exhaled a short breath, jaw setting a touch tensely. Shot glasses were lining up on the bar in front of her, and he counted, shaking his head. It occurred to him how strange it was; that he was there, that he had tracked her down, that he’d felt the compulsion to do so after a few failed messages, and an offhand conversation with his sister. Looking over at the bartender, Bear chewed the inside of his cheek for a hot second, before retrieving her jacket from the stool she’d slung it to.
O. Marshall: Of course I did. ::He touched her forearm again, this time letting his hand linger, his thumb brushing gently against her skin, voice dropping quieter.:: Come on, Lael. You shouldn’t be doing this.
She shivered at the gentle brush of his thumb on her arm, goosebumps rising at the charge in the air between them. The sound of his low voice saying her name caused her to exhale sharply and her gaze locked with his. In that moment, he had her complete attention. She remembered vividly the taste of his lips under hers, a hint of his favorite whiskey lingering on them, and the way his large, strong hands clutched at her waist as he devoured her mouth. Her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips, drawing her lower one between her teeth.
She rose slowly so she didn’t trip, laying her hands on his chest as the looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. Rising to stand on her tiptoes, she brought her lips to within millimeters of his, again moistening her lips and shivering as she felt his hot breath caressing them.
Rosek: ::murmurs:: Doing what?
He dropped his head slightly at the sensation of feeling her so close again. Had it really been that long? It felt like mere days since Palanon, but the reality was a year, if not longer. However, she still managed to cause the same reaction; his heart constricting, the tight coil at the base of his stomach - as though she’d never left. The smell of whiskey clouded around them, despair it’s dancing partner.
O. Marshall: This. Whatever *this* is, drinking won’t solve it.
Rosek: ::huskily:: Are you offering an alternative solution, Bear?
The familiar scent of her flushed his skin, and he took a second longer to look into her eyes, to see the hurt lingering there at the edges, faded and dulled as it was behind however many shots she’d managed to take. He looked down at her hands on his chest, and covered one of them with his own.
O. Marshall: I’m offering to take you home.
Rosek: ::leans up and brushes her lips lightly against his:: And what will you do with me when you get me there?
The tentative touch of her lips on his sparked a memory or a chain of them, but her words were something else. They buried in his chest, of times when the answer to that question would have been so easy; before complications had set in.
O. Marshall: You do realise you’re being incorrigible?
Rosek: ::smirks and slurs slightly:: It’s like this surprises you. I don’t recall you ever complaining before now. In fact, if I recall correctly you always seemed pretty pleased with how incorrigible I am.
O. Marshall: ::His eyebrow arched.:: You’re drunk.
Rosek: ::smirks:: I’m coherent. What’s the matter? You worried it won’t be as good?
He shook his head, wry mirth marching over his expression. It was almost a dare, in whiskey and whispers, drawing him back down a road he’d tried to put well behind.
O. Marshall: That isn’t us anymore, Lael. It hasn’t been for a while. ::If she was any soberer, she might have picked up on the hint of sadness that his words echoed with.:: Are you coming or not? Because I will leave you h---
She pulled her hand from his and wrapped her arms around his neck, so tempted to brush her lips against his. Her gaze darted to his lips as memories of their kisses invaded her mind against her will. Feeling the familiar strength of his solid, warm body against hers, she sighed and her hand slipped into the hair at the base of his neck.
Rosek: ::murmurs:: We both know you’re bluffing. You care about me too much to leave me here. Maybe you even love me.
That sank inside him like a lead weight, dragging his heart down with it. Bear closed his eyes and felt the flurry of emotions he’d long since shoved away into a dusty corner of his mind. He couldn’t decide if he was annoyed that he’d let it show perhaps once too often, or that it was getting harder to put away.
O. Marshall: Imagine the chaos if I did.
Rosek: ::whispers:: Why else would you go to so much trouble to track me down here? And don’t tell me it’s a favor for Jo. We both know that’s a load of bull$&!$. Unless Cory told her, I doubt she even knows exactly where I am. The old spark is still there. I know you feel it, too.
He pulled back from her, enough to break the delicate touch of her hand on the back of his neck, or the closeness between them, and that familiar feeling that flowed like an undercurrent through everything. Bear looked down to her jacket in his hand and placed it down on the bar, then met her eyes with his, jaw tight.
O. Marshall: Figure it out. I’m done.
She slammed her thumb against the PADD the bartender offered before angrily jamming her arms into the sleeves of her jacket and storming out after him. The second she stepped outside, the rain was so heavy her hair and face were soaked within moments. She was surprisingly graceful for someone as intoxicated as she was. She found him within seconds and stomped across the parking lot toward him. Her point would have been made if her heeled boots hadn’t slipped out from beneath her, sending her flying toward the concrete.
He hadn’t expected her to follow him, and reacted quickly when she fell, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her back up, graceful as she was. The warm air circulating above cracked and rippled with thunder in the distance, and he stared at her for a long moment, as though he was trying to work something out, and the answer was there, staring back at him.
O. Marshall: What the hell are you doing?
Rosek: ::murmurs:: You’re evading. It’s true, isn’t it?
Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek
Executive Officer, USS Astraeus, NCC-70652
I238110RH0
&
Lieutenant Orson Marshall
Logistics and Communications Officer
USS Gorkon
G239304JM0
As written by Jo Marshall
