Updated – December 16, 1998
BEHIND LINES
Chapter 2 - Part A
Katherine Moore slowly broke away from her sleep and took in her surroundings. She had had that damn dream again. Every night this week it had emerged from her unconsciousness to terrorize her.
It was a nightmare now, but it was even more of one when it actually occurred. The death and horror of Madix II was enough to scar her for life. Every time this dream rose from her psyche it felt like it laid a new scar down.
It was the same story every time, lying there, struck down and pinned under the rubble. Her father was away, helping to defend the main line with the rest of the militia. This left her mom, brother and sister to try to protect their home. The Klingons easily battered pass the militia and were among the families that had hid in their homes or stood by to defend them. The colony was blazing with mains bursting into flames and the rubble of homes and businesses flying all around. Suddenly, one large blast struck her home and she was sent sailing through a wall and onto the lawn. The rest of the wall collapsed onto her as she struck the ground. This pinned her and, in turn, kept her out of sight. She lay, screaming, bleeding, and helpless. Her mom, Helena, shrieked as she was incinerated in a disruptor blast. Her brother, Matthew, was violently cut in two by a large Klingon wielding a Bat’leth sword. Then, as her sister, Selia, stood alone two Klingons charged forward. She screamed and writhed as she tried to get free and do something…anything to save her sister. In a sudden series of explosions she lost sight of Selia. Before the dust and smoke could settle, she blacked out. Whenever she had this dream, she awoke unsure if it was a dream or if it had just happen.
She hated this feeling. Still, she was comforted by the fact she had John there. Feeling his heart beat and his arm around her was a reminder that those memories were the past and she now had someone there if see needed them. This time was certainly better then the others, waking up in the barracks, in the dark and alone, except for the guys’ snoring.
Trying not to wake him, Moore slowly lifted Samarra’s arm from around her waist. She shifted and turned, so she could face him. Moore had a strong desire to brush her fingers across his face, but didn’t want to wake him and lose the moment. He seemed so innocent. It was odd for her. It seemed over time that every man she’d been with had proven so…questionable. She never had had good taste in men.
John Samarra was different for her. He never tried to give her pretenses or lines to con or seduce her. Instead, he threw respect, friendship, admiration, and trust at her. He wasn’t perfect, no way in hell. He had been so much of a diplomat and scientist at times, holding to many of their more irritating conventions. Watching him, she thought, He could be SO wrong at times. If she hadn’t fallen so hard for him, she probably would have moved on a long time ago. To her, romance was like any mission, assess, act, and then move on. The way things worked out, he wasn’t as easy to assess as she’d expected. He never made a major move on her, always holding back. She expected a ruse, but no ulterior motive had ever appeared. This left Katherine Moore to act on her feelings, a rarity. This wasn’t bad and it meant Moore bid her time and learned a lot about Samarra, even if he kept a little distance. She had to admit, her patience was rewarded. He was sweet and nice to her, a nice change. After everything, she really felt that she knew him and was totally in love, whatever that meant. Moore also had realized it was oh so much easier when her relationships were doomed.
She smiled a bit as she looked at him. Still, as she thought of all those things they shared she was drawn to those few things that she was keeping hidden. What was she going to do? She wasn’t actually spying on him for Devaney. But, it was a betrayal. Moore never sent anything damaging out about John, or anything of real substance. Plus she’d stopped sending reports a month before and so for the first time in her career chose to blatantly side with someone other then Starfleet. It still didn’t make it right, even if she was under orders. She couldn’t keep all this from him, could she? No, not anymore. If their was one thing she knew after her time with John, it was that she wanted to spend her life with him. It was hard to believe and impossible for her to admit, but she had started to find things she wanted more than a honorable death. A lot of those things were ideas and dreams she once chided others for admitting to. It probably didn’t matter, Devaney was coming. He had to know what was happening by now. She was surprised he hadn’t reacted yet, since she’d stopped hiding her relationship with Samarra months before. Just her dwindling luck, she guessed. But she had decided to face the consequences of that choice already, she wasn’t going to look back in regret now. She just hoped that John would understand.
She needed to make some major changes and be honest with him, if she really was as serious about this as she thought. The longer she waited, the worse it would end up. Now Grace was making sense, great. Time was now running short. It was just a matter of saying those things that needed to be said. She had spent the last three months trying to do just that. It was truly flustering to feel herself lose her will time and again on this matter. She had faced death and pain more then she wanted to remember, but this was the thing that truly unnerved her. Her life was starting to seem really good, except for the lying. It was now or never, if she wanted to preserve it.
Lying beside Samarra and watching him she unknowingly whispered. Samarra slowly opened his eyes and met her gaze. Moore’s heart leapt in her chest and she held her breath for a moment. Her emotions became rechurned and the nerve she had built up dissipated.
She merely smiled, gently touching his chest, saying, “I was just seeing if you were awake.”
He smiled at her in response, bringing his arm up and around to caress her arm. Tired and speaking softly to her, he said, “Oh. I am. Did you sleep well?”
Trying to make light of the moment she lightly said, “But of course, you know you make a great pillow.”
Bringing his hand softly up to her ear, he traced it with his fingers saying, “Hmm. So that’s what I’m good for. I’ll try to remember that.”
“I’m sure you’ll add it to your resume.” She frowned a little before saying, “I suppose it’s time to return to reality.”
Samarra disagreed saying, “No, I think it’s still early…”
He slightly paused and smiled before continuing, “…and I’m in no rush.”
Moore studied Samarra’s enamored eyes for the moment, smiling. She pulled herself closer saying, “Good. We better check though. I don’t want to get you into trouble with the Commander, or have the Admiral pop up.”
He sighed, calling to the computer, “Computer. Time.”
It responded in it's monotone voice that it was 0600 hours.
He looked back to Moore, caressing her face, saying, “I usually meet Meg and Kara at 0700, but I can miss a breakfast, now and then.”
Placing her head against him, she closed her eyes saying, “I hope they won’t be start blaming me for the Captain’s dereliction of duty.”
“No, they get along fine without me, probably better. Though I get the feeling they trade stories about me behind my back, maybe I’m paranoid.” He looked at her asking, “What do you think, Katie?”
“I think I’m obliged to be supportive now, right?”
He smirked saying, “By law.”
In a purposely monotone voice she replied, “Then it’s all in your imagination, everyone loves you. Oh yeah and you’re like a god.”
He chuckled a little, “I feel better already. Seriously though, I don’t think anyone will notice if we stay in for awhile.”
“Somehow I doubt that. Still,let’s stay here a few more hours, then face reality.” She paused for a moment looking into his blue eyes before softly saying, “Unless you have something better to do.”
With that, Samarra pulled the covers over their heads. “Oh no. I’m all for avoiding reality, for a few more hours.”
*****
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