The cabin was large and comfortable by Starfleet standards, though today it was dark and stagnate. She knew that the climate control was working perfectly; but, propped up against his headboard with the smell of nervous sweat in the air everything seemed stale and too damned still. Seriana, the ship's psychiatrist, longed for the smells of nature. She loved the walks through her family's gardens on Betazed. The breezes and floral smells always seemed to calm and focus her. She closed her eyes and tried to center herself, to picture the gardens. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried she couldn't focus. The man asleep next to her was in her head. She had been able to block his thoughts, that was necessary if she wanted to be able to help him, trust was important. She could not block his feelings, not this time. This away mission had taken a part of him; she felt that the moment he materialized with the kid's body in his arms. It had been three days since then and as far as she knew he hadn't slept until now. His exhaustion could even be felt by non-telepaths. For her it was worse. She felt his exhaustion almost as if it were her own.
Seriana was an exceptionally gifted telepath, stronger than her older sister or her mother. She had a rare talent she inherited from her father, she could block the thoughts and feelings of others. Most Betazoids couldn't block them making it uncomfortable to live and work around a large group of non-telepaths. She always found it simple, like closing a door. There have only been two people she could not easily block. They had all met at the Academy almost a decade prior. Those were great days. Days of learning, friendship, and love on many levels. Or, maybe that was what she chose to remember. No, they really were amazing years. They were the years that gave her this family. The family she treasured.
He started to wake, his thoughts on all of his past failures. Thoughts so intense they broke through her mental defenses. She slowly rubbed between his shoulder blades, trying to calm him. All of his fears and pain were felt through to her very core. "I'm here Imzadi. I love you. Shhhh... "she whispered soothingly. Till now she had been able to keep him asleep, but he needed more than a few hours sleep. It was getting harder and she wondered how much longer she could keep this up. This was a far cry from earlier that day when he was screaming, telling her she had no authority to relieve him of duty. Calmly she explained she did, and his return to duty was completely at her discretion. That went over well. It ended with his PADD shattering on the far wall and him pushing past her. In the nine years they had known each other he had not been able to intimidate her, not even a little. He was like this when he was scared, when he felt inadequate. Later he slept next to her, using her as a lifeline. When they first met she never envisioned she would end up here.
She closed her eyes again, allowed her mind to drift back to their Academy days. Diplomacy in the Era of Expansion, it was an entry level course, but she was looking forward to getting back into the academic world. She had graduated near the top of her class at Troy Medical School and had practiced as a general surgeon for a few years. After all of that she wasn't happy. More, she wanted more. Her father had suggested a change. This was definitely a change. The first Betazoid to attend Starfleet Academy, and a doctor on top of it. How many people leave a prestigious career to go back to school? Something her mother continuously pointed out from the time Seri told her she had enlisted, until she boarded the shuttle to take her to the Earth bound transport ship. Her sister thought she was an idiot; nothing new there. Her dad was proud of her; proud his youngest was making her own destiny. She walked into her first class in years. First thing she did was "shut the doors". She didn't need the thoughts and feelings of the children to ruin this. This was why the next series of events was such a shock.
He flopped down in the seat next to her. Seri looked at the young cadet. A definite alpha male in every sense of the word. Brilliant, driven, loyal, and funny, but also harboring a massive inferiority complex. That most likely explained his drive. She found herself unable to close the door on his emotions. This was new; not horrible, but new. He looked over at her with striking blue eyes and a smile that assured he could get any woman he wanted, well almost any.
"Damn look at the eyes on her! I bet those legs go straight up to…"
"Yes, they do. Just so you know, there is no way in hell you will ever go there."
His look of shock was actually adorable. "Betazoid?"
"Betazoid."
"Fuck!"
She smiled, "Thanks for the compliment though."
And there was that smile again. She had to admit the look of shock was adorable, but the smile was better.
Now that was different. She had never been able to communicate telepathically with a non-telepath before. She could read their thoughts, but they could never read hers. "Hi! I'm Jim Kirk. You are?"
"Seriana. What is your area of study?"
"Command and Strategic alliances, though that may change. You?"
"Psychology with a concentration in deep space travel and trauma." The professor entered and everyone stopped talking. The syllabus, texts, and supplemental reading list were loaded onto everyone's PADD's.
"This is going to suck if he doesn't stop sounding like a dying voice modulator."
"Jim!"
"Sorry." This was going to be fun, or she was going to end up killing the kid.
"Hey Seri!" Jim yelled after her.
"Seriana." She corrected him.
"Like I said, Seri." She couldn't help but smile. Jim's genuine warmth could be felt even without her telepathy. Given how most in Starfleet saw her; an asset to read other races, his warmth was a welcome change. "Want to grab lunch?"
"Don't you prefer to spend your time with women you have a chance of sleeping with?"
"Apparently not always." Laughing she accepted his invitation. As they walked across campus something told her that this was one of those life defining moments. A moment where life could take turn for the better or the worse. Jim was all energy; she was all heart. As she looked back to that time she realized his one question changed everything.
