The Secrets that You Keep

Posted on Fri Jan 24th, 2020 @ 6:04pm by Lieutenant Commander Mara Ricci & Stephen Spires

Mission: S0E0: What Came Before
Location: Ricci's Quarters

After playing tour guide to the crew of the Resolute, Mara returned to her quarters. All that time spent with people was wearing on her nerves and now she needed alone time. She vaguely considered asking Melin to join her for dinner, but ultimately decided to just be alone for a while.

Ravioli barked and jumped on her as she walked through the door and she had to stop to greet her. "Hey, girl," she said, giving the dog a scratch behind the ears. "Ready for dinner? Huh? Are you hungry? Come on, you can have dinner with mummy!"

Once they were settled with their meals- canine supplement #12 for Ravioli and a medium-rare steak with green beans for Mara- Mara picked up her book that was still lying on the table where she left it and opened to her bookmark.

"Straight to the book," Stephen said, stepping out from the bedroom where he had just bathed and dressed himself. "Bad day, huh?"

Mara jumped when he spoke. Somehow, she had been too consumed with tending to her own and Ravioli’s needs that she hadn’t realized he was there. That’s what you get for giving him security access to your quarters, she reminded herself. “Not bad,” she sighed, staving off an annoyed look. “Just... long. With a lot of people.”

"Wanna' talk about it?" Stephen made his way behind her and slid his hands across her neck and shoulders. The way his fingers dug in was a bit harder than most people would prefer, yet he knew it barely scratched the surface of Mara's tension. "Word on the deck says we made another first contact."

“Sort of,” replied Mara, but then she stopped. If this were a normal relationship, she could tell him everything that had happened. But, he was a reporter. How much of this was classified? How much could she actually tell him. Surely it wouldn’t matter if the press got wind of the Reciprocity of Carcosia Navy, would it?

But, she didn’t know.

“It’s... it’s complicated,” she hedged.

Stephen shrugged. "It always is. What makes it special this time around?"

"Well, they got trapped because of the prior artifact- the same thing that caused our shuttle to lose power," she said. "And their ship was dead. We had to give them a jump." She grinned. Yes, this part she could tell him. "See, they have completely different technology, so we had to make some modifications. Got there in the end, though. Now they're making repairs."

"Doesn't seem so complicated to me," Stephen said. "In fact, that sounds like a by-the-numbers first contact to me. What's different about them? Are they made out of some kind of a liquid jelly?" His grin said he was both teasing and probing. "Maybe they got two heads. Or tiny hands. Or giant genitals. Should I be jealous?"

"Oh, yeah, totally," she said, trying to suppress a grin. "Hey, have you eaten? You want a steak? Or spaghetti or something?"

Both sounded good, but he couldn't decide. "Split the difference with a paella?" He could tell Mara was hiding something, but he knew the direct approach would only shut her down. "So tell me about this rival suitor o'mine. Does he have a fancy starship in addition to that giant dick? A fellow needs to know what he's up against."

She grinned. "He is a fancy starship," she replied. "You know how I am with new tech. Well, unknown tech, anyway. In this case, not entirely unknown; they had a tesla coil, basically. And the brilliant part was, it is its own shield." She shook her head in amazement. "Still can't believe I didn't think of it years ago. I guess we get so bogged down thinking it must be more complicated than it is that we forget about the simplest ideas."

"A... Tesla coil?" Spires asked disbelievingly. "As in the 20th century Earth relic? How could that possibly power a conventional starship?"

"That's the one," replied Mara, standing and crossing to the replicator to order his paella. "I have no idea how they manage to power the whole ship with it. I mean, no, that's not true," she added, setting the plate at one of the chairs and resuming her seat. "I have a vague idea. But, I don't think I could repair the system if it broke down. I'd need to study it for a few months. Maybe a couple of years."

Stephen had been a journalist long enough to know when he was getting the runaround. There was more that Mara could say, perhaps wanted to say, that she was leaving out. "Thanks, chère," he said, sitting down to his plate. "Not like mama used to make, but nothing ever is. Isn't that right, Ravioli?" He smiled as he chewed a bite.

In reply, Ravioli licked her chops and then panted happily up at him, tail wagging enthusiastically.

“The only thing the replicator gets right is Brussels sprouts,” agreed Mara. “And, apparently, canine supplement number 12.”

Ravioli’s tail wagged even harder and she gave a little yip.

A mischievous glint came over Stephen's eyes. Her grinned like an adolescent boy as he slid his half-eaten dish aside. "Suddenly I find myself hungry for something else." He crawled across the table toward Mara and knocked his plate onto the floor for his effort. "Might be time for dessert." With a swat of his hand, he sent Mara's dish onto the floor near his own, much to Ravioli's delight. "And I think I know just the thing."

"You're lucky I ate most of that," she told him. But, this was, of course, just the thing she needed to distract him. And it would be fun, too, so that was a bonus. "Right here or should we go to the bedroom?"

Rather than give reply, Stephen slid off the side of the table, pulled at Mara's uniform jacket, and laid her back on the table he had just cleared. His hands went to work peeling off her layers of clothing which gave way for access to her bare flesh. After they'd freed her from the last stitch, his hands went to work massaging and exploring every curve within reach while his mouth pressed kisses against her midriff. Eventually the evening would move to the bedroom as Mara suggested, but not before dessert.

Three or four hours later...

Stephen awoke to the jab of a sharp elbow between his ribs. It took him a minute to collect himself, conked out as he was after the sheer debauchery he had just shared with... well, the woman he loved. He smiled at the admission he finally made to himself. Maybe they hadn't broken any records for duration, but it had been awhile since they'd been intimate, and even if the passion wasn't as long as some of their original marathons, it had burned all the hotter for it.

Rolling over to one side, Stephen wrapped an arm around his... well, what was she to him? Lover. That would do. He pulled his lover close, big spoon to her small one, and listened to her breathe.

Mara, who had been sleeping rather deeply, was started awake when he elbow struck something hard, but yielding. She had totally forgotten about her plan to feed him information while “talking in her sleep.” She didn’t suppose it would hurt for him to know certain things. After all, he could easily get them from the crew of the Dauntless themselves.

Still, she couldn’t just tell him outright. That wouldn’t do. No. She had to keep him on his toes somehow.

“Tell Ingram,” she muttered. “What’s a carcosia?”

At first Stephen shook from being startled. It wasn't often Mara talked in her sleep. Sometimes it gave him good leads. Sometimes it led him on a snipe hunt. Carcosia... it rang a bell. Maybe some folk song? Stephen couldn't remember. Was she faking it? Stephen ran his finger along her hip and up her spine. Nothing. Either she was asleep He stilled his breathing and tried to quiet his pounding heart, lest he disturb her for real.

He was close enough that she noticed the slight change in his breathing. Good. That's what she was after. Best not to let out too much too soon, though. Time to let him know she was telling the truth. "We can jump start it," she muttered softly. "Hook up the jumper cables."

Jumper cables? That was some archaic shit right there. What kind of dream was she having? Or... perhaps... a metaphor. She had mentioned a Tesla coil on the first contact species' vessel. Weren't Tesla coils and jumper cables from approximately the same era? This was starting to get good.

"Re-ci-pro... city..." she said. "Carcosia... Do you have ice cream?"

There was that word again. Carcosia. It had to mean something. What about reciprocity? They had certainly done a bit of that in a few ways, which brought a satisfied grin to Stephen's face. But where did ice cream fit in? They'd skipped dessert and gone straight to "dessert"... so what the hell was going on inside that beautiful head of hers?

The ice cream, of course, was just to convince him she really was asleep. It served no real purpose. "Of course I like Doctor Who," she muttered, another diversion. "Your ship is accepting the charge.... Carcosia and the Federation... together."

Whoa! Stephen wanted to bolt out of bed and start taking notes, but his modicum of professional experience held him at bay. If the Federation made more than a friendly ally out here, then that would be the story of the century. Together... that could mean many things. Charge together. Maybe going to war? No, she was talking about jumper cables. Power. Maybe the ship needed repairs and the kind gesture led to the makings of a more formal alliance.

It was enough to nearly make Stephen tremble.

After their abduction by Gastarox and the parade through the grisly Sleepers Bazaar, it was high time in Stephen's estimation that Starfleet made some friends who weren't displaced rejects begging for scraps. His breathing intensified. He couldn't help it. For so many reasons, Stephen couldn't fight his excitement.

Time for one last tidbit. "Destroy... prior artifact..." she murmured with a sigh, turning her head into her pillow.

"Prior artifact," Stephen whispered aloud. Like the one on Carpathia? Or was there another one floating around? Maybe on the new ship... Oh, the questions! There was no way he could go back to sleep now.

But that was all the information Mara had. So, she sighed, rolled towards him and muttered, "Spires..."

Pretending to be half asleep, Stephen dropped his voice to a groggy pitch. In truth, his heart was racing with excitement. This was the best lead in some time. "Yeah, chère?"

This was where she distracted him fully. If this worked as it was supposed to, he would likely forget exactly where he'd heard the information. Maybe not entirely, but at least in part. "...love... you..." she muttered, barely audible.

"Love you," he said. The words still sounded awkward coming out of his own mouth, but no less true. "What are you doing up at this hour? Ready for round twelve?"

His admission shocked her enough that she gasped. She was able to cover it well by pretending to wake up fully. "Hm?" she said. "What did you say?"

"What? Oh..." He had to think about it, realizing just what she was asking. "I think I said that I love you too..."

She blinked in the dark. "Oh," she said weakly. That had completely derailed her. She had never expected to hear those words from him. Did he mean them? Was this some sort of game? Like the admission that he had been terrified of losing her to Galbatorix's stupid creature, something told her he was sincere. Was that wishful thinking? She didn't know. And now, her plan had backfired. Now she was no longer aware of exactly what she had told him in her "sleep."

Suddenly realizing that she had failed to say anything, she took a breath, but didn't know what to do with it. Finally, she said, "I'm never sure what to make of you, Spires."

Some moments in life were surreal snapshots that jumped out of the mundane and immediately stored themselves in the unforgettable highlight reel. "I know what you make me," he said with a teasing smile. "Insane. And happy. Insanely happy."

Well, she didn't have much choice but to take his words at face value. "Oh, great," she said, stifling a giggle. "I'm stuck here with a hopeless romantic."

Spires chuckled deviously. "Well, if you want to be less sentimental, we could always bring in a third." He wasn't serious--well, not completely. It was just satisfying on so many levels to rile her up. Not only was she adorable when she was angry, but it also ensured a double-header when it came time to play ball.

Mara laughed. She couldn't help it. "You can barely handle me," she laughed. "How are you gonna deal with someone else at the same time? And also, where would we find a third who could keep up with us? Not to mention the fact that I'm far too focused to pay attention to two people. Someone would be neglected."

"So you're saying there's a chance?" Stephen teased. He rolled over to close what little space there was between them. "If not, then maybe you can employ a visual aid to this argument of yours." His voice turned playful as it often did when he thought he was being clever.

“Oh sure, wake me up in the middle of the night for sex,” she joked, rolling her eyes. But she leaned forward the last few inches to kiss him. “Every girl’s dream,” she added huskily.

Stephen received her lips into his own as he sprawled his hands out across her torso. At least now he had an excuse for his elevated heartbeat. "You woke me up, remember?" His mouth slowly edged away from her mouth and down her jawline to her neck.

"Did I?" she asked, slowly wrapping one leg over his.

"Sure as shit," he said while he let one hand flee her torso in favor of her thigh that entwined his. "Are you... getting forgetful.. in your old age?" Necking and talking were not easily performed in tandem.

"Apparently," she purred. "Do you want to remind me? No, that wasn't nearly as sexy as it sounded in my head."

"Good thing you're pretty," he teased, then rolled atop her.

"As if my looks are the best part about me," she teased, running one foot up the back of his calf. Then, for good measure, she waggled her eyebrows at him.

Stephen's emerald eyes stared deeply into hers and prepared to thrust, but just at the cusp, he stopped short due to a niggling thought. Did she wake him? Her teasing a moment ago suggested she hadn't. Stephen had been awake ever since that sharp elbow of hers had stolen him away from sleep, yet her breathing and posture never changed the whole time. He'd warmed enough beds to know when a body changed gears. Some women were heavy sleepers, some light, and though it was sometimes hard to tell what was what, nobody was the same when conscious and unconscious.

"Mara," he said, teetering on the edge of the fade-to-black with his face solemn and voice firm. "Were you fucking with me a minute ago?"

Her brow wrinkled. “I thought we hadn’t gotten to that part, yet,” she replied, not really following him.

"You know what I mean," he barked. "It's just like those bullshit quantum slipstream specs you muttered in your sleep back when we first met on the Palatine! Do you know how much heat I got for reporting false information? You nearly ruined my career! And now you're doing it again, except with a first contact with aliens." Spires pushed himself off her and started pacing. "Fuck my life! I don't believe this!" He ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "Are you even going to deny it?!"

“All right, fine!” She replied, propping herself on one elbow. “But this is for real. Not exactly first contact, though. They’re from our galaxy- humans, trills, etcetera. They’ve been here for a long time and they’ve had to come up with different technology because the prior artifacts like the one that disabled our shuttle kept messing them up. At least I think so. But I’m not sure how much of it I was allowed to tell you, so I had to make it seem like an accident.” She sat up and pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you dare tell anybody I told you this!” she warned.

Stephen narrowed his eyes at her. It was a likely story, but he found it difficult to believe it after feeling deceived. "Yeah? And how do I know you aren't just trying to cover your ass after feeding me a load of horseshit?"

“I wouldn’t do that,” she retorted. “Not now. The Palatine was different; we didn’t even like each other then.”

"So you admit it!!!" The accusing finger was thrust toward Mara before Stephen could restrain it. And, once deployed, he didn't particularly feel inclined to withdraw it. "You finally come clean after all this time! I knew it! Damn it all, I just knew it!"

“You’re the one who printed it without double checking,” she replied hotly, now moving to her knees on the bed and returning his pointed finger with one of her own. “I never told you to do that!”

"It was a scoop and the source was good! And what the fuck do you know about journalism anyway?" Stephen fired back, ignoring the fact they were both naked as jaybirds. "Do I tell you how to do engineering? What if you nearly got killed because I purposely gave you false information? And then what if I blamed you for acting on it?!"

“I would never trust engineering information that came from you!” she shouted. “That is completely different!”

Stephen shook his head. "Completely different because I'd never fuck you over like you did me! Not even when we didn't like each other."

She gave a humorless laugh. “Is that so?” she said. “How many other girls were you sleeping with at the time?”

"Don't change the subject!" he spat. "It's none of your goddamn business who I was sleeping with when weren't together!"

"You claim that you never fucked me over," she spat, "but do you know what it does to a girl when a guy sleeps with her and then turns right around and sleeps with someone else- sometimes in the same NIGHT?"

"It was you who kept it casual, as I recall," Stephen countered. "Who was riding whose crotch all that time ago has nothing to do with the fact you intentionally and maliciously tried to hurt me. How can I ever trust you?"

Damnit! Mara’s jaw clenched and unclenched several times. He was right and she knew it. She wished there was something else she could shout at him, but decided it just wasn’t worth it. “You’re right,” she sighed, deflated. “I’m sorry. I’ll be perfectly honest, I didn’t regret it then. On the contrary, I was positively gleeful. But... I regret it now. I’m sorry, Spires. I’ll never knowingly pass you bad information ever again. Cross my heart and hope to die,” she added, making an X over her bare chest with one finger.

The way her finger weaved a trail across her ample bosom took the ire out of Stephen's heart. It was more than just sex appeal. Between the raw vulnerability and the sheer fact that she had apologized, he was genuinely given pause. All of it combined into a clusterfuck of feelings that Stephen wanted to dissect into component pieces, but they were so intertwined and turbulent that he couldn't do anything but grit his teeth and bear up under the whole.

"I believe you." His voice was gruff and barely above a whisper, but his eyes screamed at her.

A million and one other offenses crossed Mara’s mind- his stories that made her look like a fool, him leaving her completely out of important events- but she opted not to play that game. What’s passed was passed and it would only eat her to dwell on it. “Let’s do ourselves a favor,” she said softly, “and never bring up what happened when we still hated one another.” And from her place still kneeling on the bed, she reached one hand towards him, inviting him to join her once more.

"Agreed." Stephen accepted her invitation, but then seizing the initiative he swept her up to face level in an upright straddle position. "I promised your friend I wouldn't hurt you. I mean to keep that promise."

Mara’s brow wrinkled. She didn’t recall anybody telling her about any such promise. There were only two people she knew who wouldn’t mention such a promise. “Francie?” She guessed.

Now it was Stephen's term to invoke damnation within himself. He'd said too much! "No..." He started kissing softly along her neck again, hoping she would let it go. "It's not like I should be thinking of anyone else right now, you know."

Meilin, then, she thought, but opted to drop that line of the conversation. First of all, she didn’t have many friend who would care that much about her and second, he didn’t seem keen on continuing. “Ideally not,” she replied, allowing one hand to trace the lines of his shoulder and arm. “Especially since there’s nobody else here. Well, except Ravioli, but that would be weird.”

"Mara," Stephen said flatly. "Shut up." And then he smothered her lips with his own.