Out of Sickbay and On the Couch, Part II

Posted on Mon 22nd Feb, 2021 @ 3:05pm by Lieutenant Commander Dallas Briggs & Lieutenant Commander Kiara Lena
Edited on on Mon 22nd Feb, 2021 @ 3:05pm

1,236 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Business Not At All As Usual
Location: Kiara's Quarters on the IKS Amar
Timeline: MD 2, 1820 hours

Dallas sighed knowing that this conversation would have to happen eventually. Then he began, "You were shot down on purpose, by the Assassin to lure me off the base. The assassin wanted to kill me to appease his reputation. So, he challenged me to a fight, a fight to the death. If he won, he would not harm you more than what had already happened. If I won, I would get the coordinates of the planet that you were on."

She put a hand over his. "Oh, Dallas." She wasn't so concerned about herself, but that the assassin used her and Elliot to try and kill Dallas... "I'm so sorry. Is he dead, then?"

"The Assassin was a Vulcan and he picked a planet that was unbearable for me, a volcanic planet. I was no match for him, not even close." Dallas hated to admit it. He thought he was tough and strong, but a Vulcan was twice as strong and was resilient in that type of atmosphere and this one was a trained killer, Dallas wasn't.

She squeezed his hand, although hers trembled slightly. No wonder he needed to rest. Being on a Klingon ship made sense now. "Krell?"

Dallas nodded, "If not for him, I'd be dead."

She said nothing for several moments. She didn't want to think how close he came to dying. She took her hand off his and held her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. "I owe a great deal to him." Dallas would be dead, and she would still be on the planet. Would probably have stayed on the planet. She didn't want to think about the former.

“I owe him a debt that can never be repaid, he saved us both and I will be eternally grateful.” Dallas didn’t like thinking about how close he had come to death and was glad that it was over. He took one of her hands in his. “You’re here, I’m here.”

"Krell and Elliot both." She looked at him, her gaze softening. "I'm glad we're both here." She gently caressed his cheek with one hand.

Dallas' face tingled with her touch. He gently leaned into her hand, enjoying the moment. "I'm glad it’s all over for now. I think we can look forward to some well-earned time off together when we get back."

"Yes." She sighed happily. "Although I need to organize the information I gathered for the treaty and send it to T'Vala. I hope she can make use of it."

"Since we are over halfway to the peace talks, I asked Krell if he would go ahead and take us there. The Assassin confessed to me that someone hired him to stop you from going to the peace talks. It must be one of the groups that are in the dispute. Perhaps we can get a log or something off of the Assassins computer that will implicate one of the groups, if the Klingons can break the encryption on the computer." Dallas explained. "Any maybe on the way back we can hitch a ride on the Thunder Child."

"Thank you." She leaned forward and kissed him.

Dallas smiled after the kiss, "Of course, we need to get the situation resolved in a just manor and its a given that we need to bring to justice whomever is responsible."

She nodded. "I look forward to seeing what you find on the assassin's ship." She raised an eyebrow. "Does--or did--he have a name?" She didn't want to keep referring to him as the assassin.

Dallas nodded, "Hou'tan was his name. I too hope we find useful information on his ship."

Hou'tan. She didn't want to forget his name. "Assassins and pirates and giant predators. It's been quite an adventure so far, hasn't it? I'll be happy to get back to the star base when this is all over."

Dallas turned to face her on the sofa, he wanted to hear about what happened to her on the planet, "Pirates, giant predators? Spill it, I want to know everything."

"There's not much." She told him how they took supplies from the shuttle and set up camp in a cave, Elliot's decision to place a beacon, the storm, the predator that stalked them, and finally the attack by the pirates. "I was surprised to hear a shuttle land so soon after we got back. I was half afraid it was more pirates come to find out what happened to the first."

Dallas shook his head in amazement as her story unfolded. One dramatic moment after another, Kiara and Elliot managed to escape each situation alive. "And I thought my fight to the death was intense. You definitely have me beat. I really am glad that both if you are okay."

"Most of our time was spent just making do," she said. "But I am relieved it's over and everything worked out." She squeezed his hand. "And better than I could have hoped for. When I left the star base, I thought you just wanted to be friends."

Dallas nodded as she spoke, "I have loved you since the moment we met. I just didn't want admit it. I guess doing so would betray my wife's memory at least that's what I thought. After you left, I was finally able to let go of her. Then you went missing and it nearly killed me." Dallas took a deep breath, "And then he contacted me and told me what he had done." Dallas squeezed her hand back and nodded, "It’s over.." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

The kiss sent a shiver up her arm. "It is, and we're together now." She didn't mind sharing Dallas with the memory of his wife. She was part of his past. Kiara wanted to be part of his future. "I love you, Dallas." She didn't think she'd ever get tired of telling him.

Dallas looked up and into her eyes, "And I love you." His heartfelt like it wanted to leap from his chest. He was in love with her and was unable to contain it as he had in weeks past.

The last remnants of heartache, believing he only wanted friendship, that he might never find her, evaporated under his gaze. She was so happy she laughed, then kissed him again. "What can I do for you? Are you hungry? I can see if they have something in the mess and bring it back."

Dallas winched and shook his head, "No thank you, I'm not in the mood for Klingon worms or any other such...stuff. I believe that they set up a food replicator in the infirmary for us if you are hungry, but I'm not." Dallas had been sleeping for a while and he was still a little weak so he didn't feel hungry yet.

"That's good to know. I wasn't there very long last night and didn't see it." She'd been too eager to see Dallas. "I'll check it out later. Right now, I just want to be with you."

Dallas smiled, You know, that's all I want right now, too." He leaned on her shoulder and relaxed.

"Oh, my dearest love," she whispered when she was certain he was asleep. They'd come so close to losing each other. She sighed. But they were together now, and that gave her peace.

 

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