"Now, Marcus, what do you need to talk to me about?" Isa asked. She and
Marcus stood alone on the Observation deck with privacy mode engaged.
"I'm not quite sure how to tell you this princess." He said, pacing in front of her.
"Marcus, you've know me since I was a baby. Hell, you shared your pudding with me and after what we had. We're way past the princess stage." She explained smiling.
"What should I call you then?" He smiled back brightly.
"Isa."
"Isa. I'm sorry to be the barer of bad news, but.........your father has past." Marcus stopped pacing and looked solemnly at Isa.
"No." She said covering her tear filled eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Isa." He went to her and enveloped her in a caring embrace. She cried openly onto his shoulder listening to the soothing words his gently voice whispered while he rubbed her back lightly.
"I suppose you're here to take me back." She stated after a few minutes.
"No." He replied simply.
"Huh?" She picked her head up and looked at him, clearly confused. "That's not the answer I had planned."
"So?" He shrugged his shoulders, "Anyway, after you left, your father actually took the time to consider what you've been saying to him all these years." He elaborated.
"Really?" She asked.
"Yeah, and he decided that instead of forcing you to come home to a life that you didn't want, he would turn the planet into a democracy."
"Awe, he does love me." She smiled.
"There was a time that you thought he didn't?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Why do you think I left?"
"To take our.........your cloaking technology to Sinti."
"That was my excuse. The feeling's what prompted me to go."
"You left because you thought no one loved you?"
"Yeah."
"But I do."
"Marcus........."
"Please Isa." His eyes pleaded for her to listen.
"Marcus, we can't." She broke away from his grasp.
"Why?" He asked exasperated.
"Because........." She moved farther away from him.
"Why is this so hard for you? Why can't we just be us again?" He asked. "Why'd you dump me in the first place?"
"We've been over this." She evaded.
"But I want the truth this time." He demanded.
"Because.........because you're sworn to protect me. It's your job and I couldn't help but feel that that's the only reason you were with me."
"But you know it's not."
"Do I !?!" She yelled.
"You should! I only told you every time I saw you! I only thought about you every moment of every day!" He matched her volume with ease.
"Will you just drop the subject!?!"
"NO!"
"I order you to drop the subject!!"
"Too bad!!"
"I have no control over you anymore!" She yelled, but added softly, "I like it."
"Really?" Marcus was so surprised that his eyebrows almost shot off his head.
"Yeah." Isa replied meekly. Marcus made up ground and quickly had Isa in a rough, but passionate kiss.
"Marcus." Isa breathed when they pulled apart.
"Shhh........." He said covering her lips with his once again, but much more gently this time. "Take me back?" He whispered when they came up for air.
"I really need to think about this." She told him sincerely.
"Okay. When you've come to a decision, you know where to find me." He stepped back, but held her hands.
"Actually, I don't, but I'll just ask Rommie where you are."
"Okay."
"Um, I'll talk to you later then." She squeezed his hands and kissed his cheek before leaving the room. Marcus watched her go with hopeful eyes.
Harper and Lauren were in her quarters lying on her bed. Lauren was relaxing on her back, playing with Harper's hair. Harper was lying on his side, his head on her shoulder with one arm under/around her and the other resting on her stomach holding a notebook up so he could read it. He finished reading and set the notebook down on her stomach. He looked at her face and his mouth moved, but no words came out.
"I told you I wasn't fine." She said watching him struggle to find his voice.
"Lauren!" Isa exclaimed from the doorway. "I need to talk to you. It's urgent."
"Okay." She took Harper's face in her hands, "Are you okay enough to walk or should someone come and get you?"
"I can walk." He replied distantly. He got off the bed and walked to the door as Isa came into the room.
"Hi Seamus." She greeted.
"Hi." He replied distractedly before leaving.
"Is he okay?" Isa asked when the door closed.
"No." Lauren replied simply.
"Okay. What'd you do?" She asked sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I let him read my journal. He'll be fine. He'll probably be back in about an hour to reprimand me on what I wrote." She explained, sitting up and placing the notebook on her bedside table.
"Why would your journal disturb him like that?"
"I'm suicidal. Now, what'd you need to talk to me about?"
"Marcus." Isa said dreamily.
"Who?" Lauren asked befuddled.
"My personal body guard from my home world."
"Okay. What about him?"
"Well, a while back Marcus and I were a couple, I ended up breaking it off, now he's here, and he wants me back. I don't know what to do."
"Do you love him?"
"Very much."
"So, what's the problem?" Lauren asked, conveying that she really didn't understand what the problem was.
"Well, he's sworn to protect me and.........what if that's the only reason he's with me?"
"God you're dumb."
"Excuse me?"
"Next drift we stop at, I am getting you glasses."
"Why?"
"Can't you see that this guy is heels over head in love with you?"
"Isn't it head over heels?"
"Whatever."
"You Neitzcheans can't get anything right.
"Do you get what I'm saying?"
"No."
"Why would a guy pledge his life to protect you if he didn't love you?"
"Because he was supposed to."
"He could have just said no."
"Well, yeah. But........."
"Why is this so hard for you to understand?"
"Well........."
"Isa, is he an honest guy? Do you trust him?"
"Yeah."
"While you two were together, did he ever tell you he loved you?"
"Sometimes." Isa replied shyly.
"Sometimes or every second on every day?"
"The latter."
"They why don't you believe him."
"I do. It's just........."
"No. Now, you go find Marshall........."
"Marcus."
"Whatever. You go find Marcus, tell him you love him and you want to get back together with hi........."
Lauren couldn't finish because Harper suddenly appeared and smashed his lips against hers. Lauren just sat there with her arms crossed over her chest and looking very annoyed.
"Well, I suppose I should go talk to Marcus now." Isa stated. Lauren grabbed Harper's chin and pulled his lips away from hers.
"Good luck." Lauren smiled at Isa as she left. Isa could vaguely hear Lauren telling how rude he had been as she left.
"I'm not quite sure how to tell you this princess." He said, pacing in front of her.
"Marcus, you've know me since I was a baby. Hell, you shared your pudding with me and after what we had. We're way past the princess stage." She explained smiling.
"What should I call you then?" He smiled back brightly.
"Isa."
"Isa. I'm sorry to be the barer of bad news, but.........your father has past." Marcus stopped pacing and looked solemnly at Isa.
"No." She said covering her tear filled eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Isa." He went to her and enveloped her in a caring embrace. She cried openly onto his shoulder listening to the soothing words his gently voice whispered while he rubbed her back lightly.
"I suppose you're here to take me back." She stated after a few minutes.
"No." He replied simply.
"Huh?" She picked her head up and looked at him, clearly confused. "That's not the answer I had planned."
"So?" He shrugged his shoulders, "Anyway, after you left, your father actually took the time to consider what you've been saying to him all these years." He elaborated.
"Really?" She asked.
"Yeah, and he decided that instead of forcing you to come home to a life that you didn't want, he would turn the planet into a democracy."
"Awe, he does love me." She smiled.
"There was a time that you thought he didn't?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Why do you think I left?"
"To take our.........your cloaking technology to Sinti."
"That was my excuse. The feeling's what prompted me to go."
"You left because you thought no one loved you?"
"Yeah."
"But I do."
"Marcus........."
"Please Isa." His eyes pleaded for her to listen.
"Marcus, we can't." She broke away from his grasp.
"Why?" He asked exasperated.
"Because........." She moved farther away from him.
"Why is this so hard for you? Why can't we just be us again?" He asked. "Why'd you dump me in the first place?"
"We've been over this." She evaded.
"But I want the truth this time." He demanded.
"Because.........because you're sworn to protect me. It's your job and I couldn't help but feel that that's the only reason you were with me."
"But you know it's not."
"Do I !?!" She yelled.
"You should! I only told you every time I saw you! I only thought about you every moment of every day!" He matched her volume with ease.
"Will you just drop the subject!?!"
"NO!"
"I order you to drop the subject!!"
"Too bad!!"
"I have no control over you anymore!" She yelled, but added softly, "I like it."
"Really?" Marcus was so surprised that his eyebrows almost shot off his head.
"Yeah." Isa replied meekly. Marcus made up ground and quickly had Isa in a rough, but passionate kiss.
"Marcus." Isa breathed when they pulled apart.
"Shhh........." He said covering her lips with his once again, but much more gently this time. "Take me back?" He whispered when they came up for air.
"I really need to think about this." She told him sincerely.
"Okay. When you've come to a decision, you know where to find me." He stepped back, but held her hands.
"Actually, I don't, but I'll just ask Rommie where you are."
"Okay."
"Um, I'll talk to you later then." She squeezed his hands and kissed his cheek before leaving the room. Marcus watched her go with hopeful eyes.
Harper and Lauren were in her quarters lying on her bed. Lauren was relaxing on her back, playing with Harper's hair. Harper was lying on his side, his head on her shoulder with one arm under/around her and the other resting on her stomach holding a notebook up so he could read it. He finished reading and set the notebook down on her stomach. He looked at her face and his mouth moved, but no words came out.
"I told you I wasn't fine." She said watching him struggle to find his voice.
"Lauren!" Isa exclaimed from the doorway. "I need to talk to you. It's urgent."
"Okay." She took Harper's face in her hands, "Are you okay enough to walk or should someone come and get you?"
"I can walk." He replied distantly. He got off the bed and walked to the door as Isa came into the room.
"Hi Seamus." She greeted.
"Hi." He replied distractedly before leaving.
"Is he okay?" Isa asked when the door closed.
"No." Lauren replied simply.
"Okay. What'd you do?" She asked sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I let him read my journal. He'll be fine. He'll probably be back in about an hour to reprimand me on what I wrote." She explained, sitting up and placing the notebook on her bedside table.
"Why would your journal disturb him like that?"
"I'm suicidal. Now, what'd you need to talk to me about?"
"Marcus." Isa said dreamily.
"Who?" Lauren asked befuddled.
"My personal body guard from my home world."
"Okay. What about him?"
"Well, a while back Marcus and I were a couple, I ended up breaking it off, now he's here, and he wants me back. I don't know what to do."
"Do you love him?"
"Very much."
"So, what's the problem?" Lauren asked, conveying that she really didn't understand what the problem was.
"Well, he's sworn to protect me and.........what if that's the only reason he's with me?"
"God you're dumb."
"Excuse me?"
"Next drift we stop at, I am getting you glasses."
"Why?"
"Can't you see that this guy is heels over head in love with you?"
"Isn't it head over heels?"
"Whatever."
"You Neitzcheans can't get anything right.
"Do you get what I'm saying?"
"No."
"Why would a guy pledge his life to protect you if he didn't love you?"
"Because he was supposed to."
"He could have just said no."
"Well, yeah. But........."
"Why is this so hard for you to understand?"
"Well........."
"Isa, is he an honest guy? Do you trust him?"
"Yeah."
"While you two were together, did he ever tell you he loved you?"
"Sometimes." Isa replied shyly.
"Sometimes or every second on every day?"
"The latter."
"They why don't you believe him."
"I do. It's just........."
"No. Now, you go find Marshall........."
"Marcus."
"Whatever. You go find Marcus, tell him you love him and you want to get back together with hi........."
Lauren couldn't finish because Harper suddenly appeared and smashed his lips against hers. Lauren just sat there with her arms crossed over her chest and looking very annoyed.
"Well, I suppose I should go talk to Marcus now." Isa stated. Lauren grabbed Harper's chin and pulled his lips away from hers.
"Good luck." Lauren smiled at Isa as she left. Isa could vaguely hear Lauren telling how rude he had been as she left.