"Commander Scott may I have a word?" Corriene stood next to the Chief Engineer, PADD in hand.
"Aye Lass."
"In private Commander?" Scotty saw that Corriene's face was very solemn, leading her with a hand on her back they went to his office.
"What is it Lees?" Scotty asked, concerned.
"I have reason to believe that Lieutenant Lucignano has been stealing interplanetary vessel performance data from the Enterprise Sir." She answered succinctly.
"Why do you believe this Lees?" Scotty asked carefully.
"I have tracked and recorded a nought point three of a second deletion in data from the main databanks, this deletion correlates with Lieutenant Lucignano's access records. No other crewmember's access correlates exactly to the missing data." She offered over the PADD to Scotty, taking it he began to read it over.
"Wait da now Lassie, why is he taking the data?" Scotty shook his head unbelievingly.
"The private sector would pay big money for Starfleet warp engine capability data and performance analysis Sir, I know, I worked in it." Corriene's eyebrows were both raised, stressing her point to him that she knew what she was talking about.
"Alright alright, leave it with me. I need to look into this before we go any further."
"Of course Sir."
"Ugh! The lavvy-heided wankstain!" Corriene was shocked at Scotty's outburst but said nothing, she was actually quietly impressed. She left his office and began to wonder what would happen next?
Corriene finished the last coupling, thankful she had the hat on Kirk had given her. The bucket hat pushed down her mop of curls so that the ends curled round her ears and jawline. It made her very warm and her cheeks were flushed red but her nose wasn't burnt and her freckles were being kept at bay. Her team had been working out in the sun all day, it had been a hard slog but the new filtration unit was now up and running. She looked forward to the day they were sent to an ice planet, a big warm coat and mittens were definitely calling her name.
"Evans!" Corriene shouted over the small yard.
"What?" The man looked up, covering his eyes with his hand.
"You done?" Standing and stretching Corriene started dropping her tools into their bag.
"Yeah."
"Alright let's pack up and get some dinner." Evans gave her a salute and fed the order back to the rest of the team. Picking up her bag Corriene started making her way back to the accommodation huts they were all staying in, they weren't much to look at but they had a clean, comfy bed and a hot water shower. Dumping her bag on the floor she stretched out her arms above her head, she could already feel her muscles begin to tighten. Stripping off her mucky uniform Corriene went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, she let her fingers dance between the droplets for a minute as the steam filled the room almost immediately and she didn't hesitate to step right under the water and close her eyes, savouring the feeling. The soap she had was used for her hair, face and body, she even washed her hair twice, a luxury she never afforded herself while on board the Enterprise. Reluctantly she turned off the water, aware that she was meeting everybody for dinner. Wrapping a towel round her she left her hair dripping water down her face and shoulders, a good towel rub was a recipe for disaster when it came to keeping her tresses in order. The knock on the door startled her, pulling the towel a little closer to her chest she unlatched the door, peering round the corner.
"Captain Kirk?" From the look on his face he wasn't expecting her to open the door with wet hair and just a towel to keep her modesty. Clearing his throat he dragged his eyes away from her bare shoulders.
"Sorry Lees, I didn't realise…" Turning away Kirk swore silently to himself.
"It's okay Captain, is everything alright? Is there a problem?" Kirk turned back and desperately tried to keep his eyes above her shoulders. She was looking at him expectantly and he'd completely forgot why he'd knocked on her door in the first place. That wasn't true, it was just that he hadn't come up with an excuse to knock on her door.
"I've just been down to the yard, looks like you're doing a good job down there." He'd put his hands behind his back to stop himself from fidgeting.
"Yeah we're nearly finished, the team have been great Captain." She was enjoying his obvious embarrassment she couldn't deny it, the shoe was unquestionably on the other foot.
"Good to hear it." Kirk answered, nodding his head enthusiastically. The pair fell into a silence, neither one of them not really knowing what to say or what to do next.
"We're… the team I mean, we're having dinner, do you want to join us Sir?" Corriene asked more out of politeness than anything else, so when he answered yes she was happy and slightly taken aback at the same time. "Great, we're meeting at the canteen I just need to get dressed." She looked at him expectantly, thinking he'd go and she'd see him there, but when he didn't make a move she cautiously looked from left to right.
"I can wait, we can work there together." Kirk had seen the hesitation on her face and offered up an explanation, it seemed to be satisfactory as he watched her walk back into her room. She started pulling her spare clothes from her bag as Kirk was still stood outside, entirely unsure if he had done the right thing and now not knowing what to do with himself. "How's your day going Sir?" He heard her shout from inside, taking a tentative step through the doorway he watched as she flung items of clothing from her bag.
"My day? Great!" Kirk said, his nervousness fading. "Bones has been going crazy all day worried about what diseases the bugs might be carrying on this planet."
"Bones?"
"Oh, Doctor McCoy." Kirk explained.
She glanced up and gave him a quick smile and then went back to sifting through her bag, Kirk came to stand next to her and asked what she was looking for.
"My brush, I could've sworn I brought it." Kirk looked up at Corriene's wet hair, it was a lot calmer and yet the curls still spiralled in every direction. His hand lifted towards one ringlet that had stuck to her cheek. Ever so gently he pushed it back with his thumb and forefinger and tucked it behind her ear. "What are you doing?" Corriene asked quietly and breathlessly, Kirk focussed on her big blue eyes.
"I don't know." He replied honestly. "I'm sorry." He added, realisation of what he'd just done slowly creeping in.
"Don't say sorry." Corriene twisted so that they were facing one another, she couldn't stop looking at his lips.
"I uh…" Kirk's words were swallowed by Corriene's lips smashing into his, his hands held her jaw and brought her in even closer. Corriene's hands were raking through his hair, her adrenaline was making her head pulse and she was finding it hard to stay standing. Suddenly she pulled away, licking her lips and sucking the bottom swollen lip over and over again.
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry." She was suddenly very scared, in an instant Kirk pulled her back to him, their body's flush.
"I'm not, my God I'm not sorry." And with that they kissed again, along the way Kirk managed to get the door closed and Corriene managed to drop the towel.
"Where were you last night?" Evans sat opposite Corriene eating his breakfast.
"Yeah sorry about that, I was really tired, I just went to bed." Corriene offered up casually, picking at her porridge with her spoon.
"Bullshit." She looked up at him and saw that he was smirking.
"What?" Her eyebrows wrinkled in phony confusion.
"You can tell Uncle Evans what happened or I can make it up, it's up to you?" Corriene tried desperately not to blush.
"You're talking out of your arse Evans, I was tired, I went to sleep. That's it." Sipping her coffee she looked over the rim of her cup at him confidently.
"You got laid." The coffee in Corriene's mouth spewed over the table, the other crew members sat around them looked up to see what the commotion was about. Quickly grabbing a nearby cloth and trying to mop up the brown liquid she passed Evans a napkin while giving him a threatening stare. The pair finished their breakfasts in silence, when they were walking back to the yard Corriene couldn't help but ask why he thought what he thought.
"Because my friend, your hair is normally a goddamn mess at the best of times but this morning you look like you've been shagged through a hedge backwards." Evans laughed at the disgusted look she gave him and then draped his arm over her shoulder, giving her a squeeze.
"Dick."
"Well I guess that happened." Corriene stood leaning against the wall of Kirk's quarters, they'd been back on the Enterprise for three days and it was the first opportunity either of them had had to see one another. When the message had popped up on her PADD she'd broken into a grin, she had to be honest a part of her wondered whether she'd hear from him again. And that would have been fine, she was a grown woman not some love sick teenager, they'd always had chemistry and they'd had sex, really really good sex. If that had been it she'd have been disappointed, she had been warned to be fair, but she had never been at risk of going off to cry into her pillow all night.
"I guess it did." Kirk laughed, very much relieved that Corriene was acting so relaxed. Walking across the room Corriene picked up a statue from his desk, twisting it in her arms she looked back up to him.
"So, are you going to offer me a drink or is this one of those 'no hard feelings' conversations?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief and Kirk found himself drawn to her, taking the statue from her hands and setting it back down he slipped his arms through hers to lock behind her.
"This is definitely not one of those conversations… as far as I'm concerned." He added the last bit on as an afterthought. Corriene settled herself into his embrace, finding the whole state of affairs very easy.
"I think we're in violent agreement Captain."
"You know you've never used my first name." Kirk stroked his hand up and down her back, bringing his lips to her neck Corriene couldn't help but close her eyes and lean into his touch.
"Neither have you." She whispered back.
"Do you think it may sound weird?" He asked into her neckline.
"I don't know, maybe? Shall we try it?" Corriene was laughing lightly.
"On three?"
"On three." She confirmed, the pair counted down but it was only Kirk that spoke out loud the other's name.
"What's wrong with me?" Corriene asked laughing nervously.
"I don't know, but if that's our only problem I'm not worried." Corriene thumbed the fabric of Kirk's black shirt, letting her fingers fall between the buttons she undid the first one with one hand. Kirk looked down and then arched an eyebrow at her.
"Smooth move Corriene Lees." He commented dryly.
"Thanks, you want to see it again?" As he nodded his head Corriene undid the second button with one hand.
"I think I'm going to have to watch myself with you." Kirk pulled his hands back over her hips and brought them up to the first button of her blouse. Undoing the button with both his hands he gave her a wink. "I'm not risking it." Corriene couldn't help but laugh at his semi-serious tone. She didn't realise he had such a sense of humour, she was growing more and more attracted to him as every minute passed.
"Very wise." Bringing herself in she gave him a long passionate kiss all the while his hands worked away at undoing her buttons. "You need to leave that sort of stuff to the professionals." Kirk's eyes darkened and she knew he'd taken her glib comment as some sort of challenge, pulling the blouse from her shoulders and looking at her in a way that made her heart pound out of her chest Kirk flicked one finger under the strap of her bra. "Or maybe you don't?"
Lucignano had noticed Corriene Lees staring at him in the Engineering brief, she had never looked at him kindly but this was different. Her eyes kept shifting from him to Commander Scott, there was definitely something wrong. He'd known her long enough to read her thoughts on that expressive face of hers, his gaze flittered between her and Scotty, and then it came to him. She knew. Shit she knew. As soon as they were dismissed he bolted from the room, he needed to act fast, remove any evidence if there was any and work out how the hell she'd figured it out. He'd been guaranteed nobody would be able to tell! She'd been a thorn in his side for way too long, it was time to rectify that.
Three Weeks Later
Corriene was on her last hour of shift when the comm came through for her to go to Scotty's office, making her way there she gave Evans a small wave as she went by. When Evans mouthed the words 'What are you doing?' Corriene shrugged her shoulders in response. When she entered the office the first face she saw was Scotty's, looking angry and disappointed. The next she saw was Lucignano's, he was altogether resplendent in his crisp red uniform and shit-eating grin. The third was Kirk's. His face was cold, unaffected and dispassionate. Looking between the three men Corriene was unsure as to what to do, she decided to turn her attention to Commander Scott.
"Sir?" Tucking her hair behind her ears she straightened her back, preparing herself for whatever was coming, Scotty exhaled slowly, visibly uncomfortable with the situation.
"Lieutenant Lees, we find ourselves in a strange situation. Usually when a complaint is made against a fellow Officer, anonymity is maintained however in this state of affairs Lieutenant Lucignano has been made aware of the complaint made against him given the fact that he has come forward with information against you Lees." Corriene listened carefully to Scotty's words, so Lucignano was trying to set her up?
"Commander Scott, to begin with, I have not made a complaint against Lieutenant Lucignano. I brought to you evidence of data being appropriated and the correlation related with Lieutenant Lucignano's shift patterns and possible motive." Her voice was calm and steady but inside she could feel herself uncoiling, the heat she could feel radiating off her cheeks told her that she definitely wasn't appearing as composed as she hoped.
"Aye Lass, you're right, my apologises. But I canny not act on Lieutenant Lucignano's complaint against you." Listening to Scotty's words she quickly glanced at Kirk who hadn't looked her way since she'd entered the room.
"May I ask what the complaint is?" It was then that she looked at Lucignano, who with his black hair and black eyes had never looked more intimidating.
"He has reason to believe that you have fabricated the data you've provided, we're going to have to carry out a full investigation, it's going to take a wee while Lass." The last part was uttered apologetically.
"What evidence has he provided to support his claim?"
"That's what we'll have to look into…" Scotty started.
"So none then…"
"Lieutenant." Kirk's voice was quiet but cautionary.
"For what inconceivable reason do you think I would want to setup this man?!" Her hands were on her hips, she was definitely pissed.
"There is a history of the pair of you coming up against one another Lees." Scotty answered tentatively.
"I take it I'm relieved of duty?" Corriene then asked angrily, Scotty just nodded. "You've always been a sonofabitch you know that!" She whispered to Lucignano, feeling her resolve all but disappear.
"Lieutenant." The warning came again from Kirk, she glanced at him, seeing his eyes telling her to shut her mouth, but she was angry. "This is bullshit." Shaking her head she closed her eyes, trying to regain some composure.
"You're to remain in your quarters Lieutenant Lees until further notice." Kirk crossed his arms across his chest irritably, when Lucignano laughed he laid into the man, told him he'd bring him up on insubordination charges and dismissed him immediately. When both he and Scotty had left the room, he turned to Corriene.
"What the hell Corriene?" He looked at her exasperated.
"He's distracting you, he's making you look at his left hand while he's stealing from you with his right! Come on! Can you honestly tell me you think I'd make this up, try to frame him? For what?! This supposed vendetta I have against the man? He's an idiot, always has been, he's dangerous and he's reached the end of his luck. I'm telling you, he's stealing data, I've been an Engineer long enough. I worked for years in the private sector, I'm a goddamn Fellow! I breezed through the Academy and I have more intelligence in my little finger than he does in his entire body, frankly I'm surprised he lasted this long!" Her eyes were prickling with tears, all her frustration bubbling to the surface. She was also upset because not once had Kirk shown her any kind of comfort, she'd thought that as soon as the other two men had left the room he would have hugged her or at the very least held her hand. But nothing, a part of her knew that it was probably for the best, she prided herself on being professional and she wouldn't expect anything less from him, still, it hurt.
"Corriene listen, my hands are tied…"
"I don't want to hear your excuses…"
"That's enough!" His outburst shocked her, closing her mouth she stood still and silent. Kirk was looking at her desperately, she wasn't sure whether he was angry at her or the situation. "Go to your quarters, you're dismissed." His words stung.
"Jim?" She sputtered his name quietly, it was the first time she'd ever used it.
"You're dismissed Lieutenant."
Thank you for reading, hope you're enjoying it. Please leave a review! XOXO LLAP ;-)
