Blood and Fire
by Soledad
Fandom: Star Trek – The Next Generation
Disclaimer: All Star Trek belongs to Gene Roddenberry and Viacom or whoever owns the rights at this moment. I don't make any profit out of this – I wish I would, but I don't, so suing me would be pointless.
Genre: Horror/Romance
Rating: Adult – for different reasons for the different chapters.
Summary: My own version of David Gerrold's famous rejected TNG-script.
INTRODUCTION
Once upon a time, in the first year of "Star Trek – The Next Generation", veteran Star Trek writer David Gerrold (also known as the father of the Tribbles) pitched a story about a ship infested with Regulan bloodworms. It was meant as an AIDS allegory, and it would also have featured Star Trek's first gay couple, on the sidelines.
For various reasons, the script was rejected. Gerrold later rewrote it as a book and part of his Starwolf series. He also rewrote the script for the famous, fan-made "Star Trek – Phase II" series, adapting it to the Original Series characters. If you haven't watched the fanmovie yet, go and do so, it's all over the Internet. It's excellent, it's endearing and you'll have a happy reunion with long-missed characters and actors.
I don't want to compete with James Crowley's fantastically creative team; this is a story, not a movie, it's set in the original TNG environment, and it has a different point of view. I've been toying with the story idea for quite some time, and now that I've seen the movie, I've been inspired anew.
There are barely any original characters in this story. The supporting characters are borrowed from 2nd and 3rd season TNG episodes; most of the seemingly unknown ones are from Gerrold's original story idea. However, Dr. Crusher and weaselly Wesley are absent, as this story takes place between Seasons 2 and 3 of TNG, when Dr. Pulaski has already departed but Dr. Crusher hasn't returned yet.
I have never seen the original script, just short summaries, so while the idea isn't entirely mine, the realization certainly is. Hopefully, my version will find a few readers who like it, despite the differences. Unlike the "New Generation"-series, this is not an AU, as deviations from canon are practically nonexistent.
(This is the seriously edited version of this particular chapter, so that it would fit the site's guidelines. The full version is available – for members only – on the otherworlds_lib LJ comm. All other chapters will be posted in the original version.)
PRELUDE
USS Enterprise
Stardate: 42076.5
Colin Freeman enjoyed working aboard the Enterprise very much. Not only was it the flagship of the Fleet, getting the most exciting deep space missions – well, most of the time – it was also a state-of-the-art vessel, a peak product of Federation engineering, with the newest technical achievements regularly added to her systems. Especially the holodecks were at the highest level of holographic and replicator technology. Freeman, born and raised on a space station, loved the holodecks. They gave one the complete illusion of any desired place, without the sometimes very real dangers of those places. It was simply perfect.
Today, they had chosen their favourite sylvan scenario, complete with birdsong and waterfall. They both loved having sex in the outdoors, and this scenario was the closest thing, without real people stumbling over them by accident. Actually, it was even better than the real thing, which was the reason why they visited it so sparsely: to keep it special.
But today was their second anniversary, and Freeman wanted to make it special for Dan Eakins, the shy, reversed – and breath-takingly beautiful – Englishman with whom he had fallen in love at the moment they'd met for the first time aboard the USS Horatio. It had taken him almost a year to woo Dan out of his pants and into bed, but the gain was well worth the effort. And now they had every reason to celebrate. It wasn't an easy thing for two people in a committed relationship to get assigned to the same ship, but they had been fortunate. And they had got the Enterprise, of all ships – what else could a Starfleet officer wish for?
Dan was already there when Colin descended the stepping stones above the small waterfall. He lay on a Starfleet-issue blanket, used on away missions, clad in his worn jeans and a simple white T-shirt, his short-cropped, dark hair tousled, his dark eyes smouldering with want and full of promises. Colin could still barely believe his luck.
"Up to no good?" he asked teasingly, lowering himself next to Dan who sat up to great him properly, and slid a teasing hand down Dan's front.
"Up to whatever you've got on your mind," Dan answered, leaning in for a kiss. Colin was determined to turn his partner into one naked, hypersensitive nerve on this afternoon. This was their anniversary, for God's sake, and it needed to be celebrated properly.
"You look good enough to eat," he said when they were forced to break the kiss due to the acute lack of air, "and I will eat you today – lock, stock and barrel."
Dan gave him a lazy smile. "Does it mean that I'll get ravished?" he asked hopefully.
"No," Colin stroked the his lover's inner thigh, making his breath hitch. "I will."
"That may take some time," Dan warned ruefully.
It did, indeed, take a lot of time and work on his partner's side to get him properly aroused (or, as Colin would say, 'up to the challenge'). According to the doctors, it had to do something with performance anxiety; he'd had some very humiliating experiences with women before he'd realized that he was experimenting with the wrong gender. But once he 'got it up', to use another patented Freeman term, he could go on for hours. So Colin didn't really mind all the prep work, since as a result it got him fucked within an inch of his life.
The only disadvantage was that they really needed ample time to get Dan into high gear. Which meant that when only quickies could be arranged, he always had to be on the receiving end. Not that he'd really mind, though. On the contrary, he was more than willing to lie down for Colin; any time, any place, in any desired position. It freed him from the pressure to 'deliver' (OT Freeman again).
But today they had enough time, this being their day off, and after the necessary prep work had been done, Dan rose from the blanket with that boneless grace Colin always admired in him. Special Ops training at the Security Academy in Annapolis did pay off.
"Very well, then, get hold on that tree and spread your legs a little to have better leverage. I'll take care of the rest."
That sounded so… technical as if taken straight from some security manual. It was so very Dan that Colin had to laugh while he obeyed as any good little Starfleet officer would do in an emergency situation – well, he did consider his own state of extreme need and arousal as an emergency, thank you very much. Medical personnel knew all about the dangers of sexual frustration, and he was a med tech first class, after all.
"Ooh," Dan was literally purring, his posh British accent growing more prominent as always when he got excited. "Someone came well prepared, it seems."
Colin glanced back over his bare shoulder. "You have a problem with that?"
"How could I?" Dan's laugh was throaty and sensuous, his usually pale face beautifully flushed. "A well-prepared officer is the first half of every successful mission."
"Then get on with the damned mission already!" Colin growled in frustration.
"What's the hurry?" Dan asked. "We have all day for us…"
"… and an awful lot to catch up," Colin replied. "I need to create memories. Good ones, and lots of them, for the times when you're out there, on some foreign planet, without me. Y'know," he added after a moment of thought, "it's funny."
"What is funny?" Dan asked, although he did have an inkling.
"How much I worry about you," Colin admitted. "Being on Security Detail and all. I'm always afraid that…" he stopped himself with visible effort. "Never mind."
Dan shook his head. "Hey," he said gently. "There's nothing to worry about. Really. We don't have bulls-eyes painted on our uniforms any more."
"Yeah, you can joke, but," now it was Colin's turn to shake his head. "I know the odds, Danny. I…"
"That's quite enough," Dan interrupted him in his best security officer manner. "I see I need to bring you to more sensible thoughts, crewman. Stand up, turn around and place your right foot on that big stone, now! And don't forget to get good leverage! You'll need it."
"I can't remember you outranking me," Colin mock-protested, but he obeyed nonetheless.
After a considerable amount of time, spent with rater... energetic activities, they collapsed onto the blanket, limp like wet rags, completely unable to speak, much less to move. Their heavy breathing even blanked out the murmurs of the waterfall and the birdsong for a while, both elements consciously included into the programme for romantic purposes.
As usual, Conin was the first to break the sated silence; he was one of those who liked to talk after sex.
"Man, that was great," he sighed in deep satisfaction. "You can't imagine how much I needed it."
"You're a pushy bottom," Dan smiled, stroking his chest gently.
"You didn't seem to have any problems with my bottom just now," Colin laughed; then he glanced at his wrist chrono and pulled a face. "We need to relocate to our quarters, though. Our holodeck reservation is about to run out in half an hour."
"Bugger!" Dan was genuinely disappointed. "That's hardly enough time to shower… especially if we share. I guess we'll have to strike post-coital cuddling from the menu, won't we?"
"Not if we grab a quick shower, go home and continue with the programme," Colin pointed out logically.
"That's a relief," Dan said wryly. "Well, let's have that shower then and go to Ten Forward for dinner, shall we?"
Colin had no objections against that plan, and so they had a quick enough shower, only moderately distracted by each other's naked bodies within arm's reach, left the holodeck just in time and rode the turbolift to Ten Forward.
The brand new recreation lounge was, unsurprisingly, located on deck ten at the extreme forward end of the saucer section and was designed with several large windows, which offered a spectacular view of space ahead of the vessel. Added to the ship's facilities during the most recent refitting, it had already became very popular among the crew and served as the social centre of the ship, equipped with a number of recreational activities, tables and seating, and a bar which served several alcoholic and syntheholic beverages. Two replicator terminals behind the bar were able to produce other food and drinks.
Colin and Dan entered the lounge through the door on the port side and were led by the enigmatic hostess, a dark-skinned alien woman named Guinan, to a separate little room which, in theory, served as the captain's private dining room but could be booked by all crewmembers for special occasions. The table for two was already set, with flowers and candlelight and soft music playing in the background… the whole nine miles, aimed for a romantic evening. Dan had filed his dinner request well in advance, and as usual, Guinan could be counted on.
Having served their dinner and wine, she returned to the bar and continued polishing the already shiny counter with a deep burgundy red rag of exactly the same hue as her flowing robe and her elaborate hat that looked as if a flying saucer had landed right on top of her head. She glanced at them for a moment, grinning conspiratorially, then returned to her somewhat unnecessary cleaning activity.
Colin was duly impressed by the effort Dan had put into celebrating their anniversary. Nobody had ever done anything even remotely like this for him, and he honestly enjoyed the attention.
"You are hopelessly romantic," he said. "But you don't have to woo me all over again, you know. You've got me already; and I'm staying."
Dan shrugged. "This is the least I could do to thank you for putting up with me. I know I'm high maintenance…"
"Hey!" Colin interrupted angrily. "Don't talk like that! I love you, you idiot. This has nothing to do with 'putting up' with you."
"You can sweet-talk with the best of them," Dan grinned involuntarily. Then he became serious again. "You know, I've been thinking…"
"Oh, no! A security officer who starts thinking!" Colin murmured in mock horror. "Where will the world get to if this continues?" But he dropped the joke quickly as he saw the troubled eyes of his partner. "Dan, what's wrong."
"Nothing," Dan replied hurriedly. "I just… perhaps I should make a Deltan sexual therapy. They say it's very efficient, much better than the average Federation medicinal techniques."
"Why on Earth would you want to do that?" Colin asked, completely baffled.
Dan avoided his eyes. "You seemed so happy today. I'd like to be able to give you that more often, and with less prep work involved. I know you actually prefer to be on the receiving end, and I'm sorry I can't…"
"Dan," Colin interrupted," you are an idiot. No, be quiet; you really are. I love you, not just your dick, can't you understand that? Besides," he added, "I actually like to do all that prep work. To know that I'm the one who can work you up to the challenge just nicely…" he trailed off, suddenly uncertain. "Does that make me a selfish prick? Or do you think I want you to stay like this, to chain you to myself? You think I'm afraid you'd leave me once you'd be able to perform with anyone at will?"
He was so upset that Dan instantly regretted having brought up the whole thing in the first place. This was not how he'd planned to celebrate their anniversary.
"Now, who's the idiot?" he murmured gently and leaned over to kiss Colin. "Don't be so daft, I love you! I'm staying, too, no matter what. I just want you to be happy!"
"I am happy, dammit!" Colin replied hotly. "I came into this relationship with my eyes wide open. I knew what it would involve. I'm a med tech, remember? If all I'd wanted was to be fucked through the mattress each night, I'd have chosen someone else." He paused as something else occurred to him. "Or are you tired of being the bottom most of the time? Is it that? Do you feel reduced in your manliness or whatnot?"
"Of course not!" Dan said hurriedly. "I love to have you in me, I really do. It's just… seeing my dick disappear in that beautiful arse of yours is the most erotic sight I can imagine. I'd like to have that – to have you – more often, that's all."
"You do have me, you fool," Colin said gently. "But if this bothers you so much, I can make some inquiries about the therapy. We have shore leave coming up in two month's time… we can give it a try if you really want to."
"I think I would," Dan answered thoughtfully. Then he grinned again. "Just don't think you'd be automatically relieved from prep duty, even if they can help me. I won't give up having those clever hands on me… or any other parts of you."
"Well, eat up then, so that we can return home and practice some more," Colin laughed, relieved that the evening could be still saved. "It's a good thing that we're on Beta shift tomorrow; we can stay up late and sleep in in the morning."
~TBC~
The regular cast appears in the next chapter, I promise. And this is the only piece of sappy romance in this story, honest!
