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Part Six (short but important)
The extended travel and the radiation began to have effect on Kate and Wesley as they continued their exodus through the forests of Brasia. They were obviously slowing down and beginning to get weak, despite their protests against it. Both were also getting quite hungry, but that was far down on a list of things to do.
"Are we far enough away that we can rest for a while?" Wesley asked desperately.
Kate glanced behind them, and took a look at her tricorder, hoping herself for a chance to rest. But the figures and numbers that stared back at her didn't show her what she wanted to see. "No. Not yet," she admitted tiredly. "Maybe another, 300 yards or so." So they trotted on, unaware that they were now being followed.
After a minute or two of silence, Wesley broke the tension. "You know, when I left for vacation, all I could think about was spending some time with you alone." Wesley paused to see if his statement caused any reaction in his companion. He was sure he saw the beginning of a smile cross her lips. "But, no offence, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."
Kate did smile at that. "This isn't my idea of Riza either, Wes. We'll just have to make the best of it."
"How?"
Kate looked around for some inspiration. Instead of inspiration, she only found trees, tress, some shrubbery, and more trees. There was a slight romantic feel to this place, and if they weren't both running for their life, they might have noticed it. Kate looked up to the sky for answers, and her reply came in the form of raindrops falling on her face. "Perfect," she muttered. "Now we'll be tired, hungry, and wet." She and Wesley gave up on the other 200 yards they still had to travel before Kate predicted that they would be safe. They ran for shelter under a large looming tree, and resigned to waiting out the storm.
"This would happen to us, wouldn't it?" Wesley asked, exasperated, and trying to shake water out of his hair.
Kate nodded, seeing the irony. It was just like them to get stranded in a place like that when Deanna, or Will would end up on some gorgeous planet like Aldea. Not that that had been a very pleasant experience when Wesley was there. "You know," she said playfully, "under different circumstances, this might actually be fun."
"What, the rain and the mud, or the being trapped under a tree with me?" Silently, Wesley hoped for the second one.
Kate moved closer to him to deliver her answer. "Both," she said smiling, hoping that Wesley was picking up on the hints she was dropping. Whether he did or not, Kate couldn't tell really, but he leaned in closer too.
"Really," he said softly. The rain was pouring down even harder and didn't show any signs of slowing or stopping at all. Despite the cover of the tree, both Wesley and Kate were getting quite wet. Kate was getting the worst of it actually. Her face was drenched, and Wesley couldn't resist lifting a hand to wipe droplets of water off her eyelashes. Normally, Kate would have backed away from such an aid, but she let Wesley's fingers brush across her face without flinching. It was going against everything that she had previously believed, but it was too late. Or maybe, part of her always believed that there was something with Wesley, something more than friendship. Maybe it was the comfort of friendship that kept them from every realizing it. Whichever way it was, neither cared at the moment.
Time might have stopped forever with Wesley's hand brushing Kate's face and Kate's eyes looking wide and open at Wesley's face. But something in Wesley urged him onward. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. The action did not surprise Kate, but she pulled away from him anyway. For a moment, a very short moment, she began to doubt what was happening. But one look at Wesley's earnest face shook away those thoughts and she returned his kiss, stronger and more passionate. In that one fleeting moment they both realized that Kate was right. What Wesley was looking for was right in front of his nose.
A loud roar and rumble from the out in the storm interrupted their precious moment. Both Kate and Wesley's senses were on alert immediately, but it did them no amount of good. A large tiger-like beast sprung from out of the darkness and attacked without any warning. It reached Kate first, and though a skilled fighter, even she was not strong enough to ward off its attack. Wesley looked in horror at Kate's fallen body, at her blood that was saturating her clothing. He thought her dead, and was stuck like stone. His throat tightened up with fear, and would have most certainly been the creature's next meal had not a movement from Kate's hand shook him back into reality. He reached for Kate's phaser and, not bothering to check the phaser's settings, fired. The beast shuddered, lunged forward, but was stopped by another jolt from the phaser. It dropped in its tracks, dead, just in front of Wesley.
Part Six (short but important)
The extended travel and the radiation began to have effect on Kate and Wesley as they continued their exodus through the forests of Brasia. They were obviously slowing down and beginning to get weak, despite their protests against it. Both were also getting quite hungry, but that was far down on a list of things to do.
"Are we far enough away that we can rest for a while?" Wesley asked desperately.
Kate glanced behind them, and took a look at her tricorder, hoping herself for a chance to rest. But the figures and numbers that stared back at her didn't show her what she wanted to see. "No. Not yet," she admitted tiredly. "Maybe another, 300 yards or so." So they trotted on, unaware that they were now being followed.
After a minute or two of silence, Wesley broke the tension. "You know, when I left for vacation, all I could think about was spending some time with you alone." Wesley paused to see if his statement caused any reaction in his companion. He was sure he saw the beginning of a smile cross her lips. "But, no offence, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."
Kate did smile at that. "This isn't my idea of Riza either, Wes. We'll just have to make the best of it."
"How?"
Kate looked around for some inspiration. Instead of inspiration, she only found trees, tress, some shrubbery, and more trees. There was a slight romantic feel to this place, and if they weren't both running for their life, they might have noticed it. Kate looked up to the sky for answers, and her reply came in the form of raindrops falling on her face. "Perfect," she muttered. "Now we'll be tired, hungry, and wet." She and Wesley gave up on the other 200 yards they still had to travel before Kate predicted that they would be safe. They ran for shelter under a large looming tree, and resigned to waiting out the storm.
"This would happen to us, wouldn't it?" Wesley asked, exasperated, and trying to shake water out of his hair.
Kate nodded, seeing the irony. It was just like them to get stranded in a place like that when Deanna, or Will would end up on some gorgeous planet like Aldea. Not that that had been a very pleasant experience when Wesley was there. "You know," she said playfully, "under different circumstances, this might actually be fun."
"What, the rain and the mud, or the being trapped under a tree with me?" Silently, Wesley hoped for the second one.
Kate moved closer to him to deliver her answer. "Both," she said smiling, hoping that Wesley was picking up on the hints she was dropping. Whether he did or not, Kate couldn't tell really, but he leaned in closer too.
"Really," he said softly. The rain was pouring down even harder and didn't show any signs of slowing or stopping at all. Despite the cover of the tree, both Wesley and Kate were getting quite wet. Kate was getting the worst of it actually. Her face was drenched, and Wesley couldn't resist lifting a hand to wipe droplets of water off her eyelashes. Normally, Kate would have backed away from such an aid, but she let Wesley's fingers brush across her face without flinching. It was going against everything that she had previously believed, but it was too late. Or maybe, part of her always believed that there was something with Wesley, something more than friendship. Maybe it was the comfort of friendship that kept them from every realizing it. Whichever way it was, neither cared at the moment.
Time might have stopped forever with Wesley's hand brushing Kate's face and Kate's eyes looking wide and open at Wesley's face. But something in Wesley urged him onward. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. The action did not surprise Kate, but she pulled away from him anyway. For a moment, a very short moment, she began to doubt what was happening. But one look at Wesley's earnest face shook away those thoughts and she returned his kiss, stronger and more passionate. In that one fleeting moment they both realized that Kate was right. What Wesley was looking for was right in front of his nose.
A loud roar and rumble from the out in the storm interrupted their precious moment. Both Kate and Wesley's senses were on alert immediately, but it did them no amount of good. A large tiger-like beast sprung from out of the darkness and attacked without any warning. It reached Kate first, and though a skilled fighter, even she was not strong enough to ward off its attack. Wesley looked in horror at Kate's fallen body, at her blood that was saturating her clothing. He thought her dead, and was stuck like stone. His throat tightened up with fear, and would have most certainly been the creature's next meal had not a movement from Kate's hand shook him back into reality. He reached for Kate's phaser and, not bothering to check the phaser's settings, fired. The beast shuddered, lunged forward, but was stopped by another jolt from the phaser. It dropped in its tracks, dead, just in front of Wesley.