***
Alex found Jen waiting for him outside of the captain's office, looking nervous as she stood up and faced him. "How many?" she asked.
"Twenty thousand," Alex whispered, "we just couldn't get them all off in time."
"Twenty thousand' people???" Jen gasped, her eyes watering as they welled up with tears. "So many . . . "
"And we saved thirty thousand," Alex told her, patting her shoulder. "There was nothing more to be done, we did our best."
"I suppose so," Jen said.
"How is that boy?" Alex questioned, "the last one we rescued. He lost his father."
"I saw him yesterday," Jen said, walking down the hall with Alex to the break room. "He's holding up, and so is his mother. Obviously, they're going through a horrible time---their home was completely destroyed. There's nothing left to go back to."
Alex nodded, then put his hand on her back and rubbed it gently. "I want to thank you," he said, "you made a wise decision in coming back, even after I told you not to. I would've been in trouble if you hadn't."
"I know," Jen said, confidently, "but you're welcome anyway. Just . . . don't ever ask me to leave you again."
"I won't," Alex assured her, entering the break room and going to get some coffee. "I've got some paperwork to do," he said, "I'll be back in a while. Want to go out tonight?"
"Okay," Jen said, "I'm off at five."
"See you then."
Alex took a quick sip and grabbed a piece of bread as he left the room, he still had three hours of work ahead of him before he could take a break, but he preferred to remain busy anyway. He turned the corner and ran headfirst into Sienna as she strode quickly down the hallway, she fell down and landed her hard on her backside.
"Sorry," Alex mumbled, offering to help her up.
"No problem." Sienna stood and smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with a cheerfulness Alex couldn't help but feel was inappropriate, given the recent circumstances. She had obviously developed her own personality, resembling the old Sienna in many ways . . . but not enough for him to love her the way he used to.
He brushed by her and quickly went into his office, hearing her footsteps following him inside. "May I help you?" he asked, doubtfully.
"Alex, give us another try," Sienna said, a hint of a whine in her voice. "We used to be good together, remember?"
"That was before," Alex pointed out, "a long time ago. Things have changed."
"What has changed?"
"You have . . . and so have I."
Sienna hurried forward so she stood in front of his desk, leaning on it and staring into his eyes hopefully, Alex couldn't help but stare right back at her . . . she was so beautiful.
"Kiss me, Alex," Sienna whispered.
"No," Alex replied.
"Just once . . . " she said, "give it a try, see how you like it."
"I-I can't," Alex said, "I don't want to."
"I know you do . . . "
In a moment, she had pressed her lips to his and they holding each other, both leaning over the desk and straining to be closer; she parted his lips with her tongue and pressed against the back of his neck with her hand.
Alex's eyes flew open and he jerked away quickly--- "Sienna, damn it," he muttered, "will you just drop it? I don't love you anymore!"
"You still have feelings for me," Sienna pointed out, "you weren't exactly resisting there."
"I love Jen," Alex insisted.
"No, you don't!" Sienna said.
"What are you insane???" Alex demanded, "this is ridiculous! For one, we're both respectable officers . . . and you're quite a hypocrite if you want to pursue this and criticize my relationship with Ensign Scotts."
"No, I'm not," Sienna said, "she is your subordinate. She has to take orders from you."
Alex sighed, shaking his head and turning away so he faced the window behind him; he heard Sienna sigh, then her quiet voice: "It won't work between you two, Alex . . . but it can work for us." A moment later, he footsteps disappeared down the hall as he continued to stare outside.
*****
"All right," Alex spoke as he led his team down to the surface of Xybria early the next morning. "We're looking for any survivors, do your best to clean up as well. Remember, this place is a home to thousands of people, and we want them to be able to go back there soon."
As he talked, the young Xybrian boy---Trip---hurried over. "Sir," he gasped, "can I come please? I want to see what it looks like down there."
"Absolutely not," Alex said, "it's still too dangerous down there. I can't risk a civilian---"
"I'm not a civilian," Trip interrupted, "Xybria is my home, I want to help."
Alex sighed, looking at Logan for an answer, the captain nodded slowly. "All right," Alex said, "but stick close to me, and watch where you step--- I don't want you falling through any holes, understood?"
"Yes, sir," Trip said, quietly.
They landed safely on the surface ten minutes later and went off in their own separate chalks, teams of twelve; Alex led his own around the destroyed town. The buildings had either completely collapsed, or were steadily burning; smoke still rose from the rubble, and he heard Trip whimper softly when they passed his house.
"Is anyone here???" one of the soldiers shouted, cupping his hands.
Alex had morphed in order to increase his hearing in hopes of hearing someone calling for help, but the only sound was that of the village slowly burning to the ground. Trip walked over to his house and stood in front of it with a despairing expression on his young face, Alex glanced to his side and saw him, and to his surprise he felt a wave of sympathy for him.
"How are you doing?" he asked in a quiet voice as he walked up.
"Okay," Trip answered with a shrug, "I miss my father."
"I know how you feel," Alex said, "I was a few years younger than you when I lost my own father. You seem to be a strong boy though, you'll be all right."
"I'm more worried about my mother," Trip admitted, "she's taking this really hard."
"She has you," Alex said as they started walking again.
"Um . . . Lieutenant?" Trip spoke up a little while later, "how do I apply for the Academy? I-I want to be in Time Force."
"Is that so?" Alex said, "well, we can discuss it when we get back. How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
Alex nodded. "Well then, you're a candidate," he said, "you seem sharp . . . a smart kid. The exam to get in is difficult, but I'll give you a practice one and see how you do, okay?"
"Thank you, sir!" Trip said, excitedly.
"No problem," Alex assured him, "we're always happy to have a new recruit . . . especially a promising one."
Alex and Lucas began working on a house that had crumbled to the ground during the night, it was obviously a job that would take a long time . . . time no one wanted to spend digging out bodies and clearing out what was left of their homes.
"This is horrible," Lucas muttered.
"I know," Alex said.
"Alex, look---" Lucas pointed to a disturbing image: A bloody hand reaching up from the rubble. "Dead?" he assumed.
Alex knelt and felt for a pulse, nodding slowly. "Yes," he said, "let's get to work digging it out."
The grisly task of removing the body lasted for an hour, trying to find a way through the heavy pieces of wood and metal. Finally, Lucas and Alex lifted the body and gently put it down on the street, to the horror of Trip and a few other young men and women.
"Did you know him?" Katie asked, putting her arm around Trip as Lucas and Alex returned.
"We all knew each other," Trip sighed, "he was just an old man who hung around . . . he was really kind."
Silence fell for a time as they reflected on the life lost . . . finally, Alex spoke: "Let's go. I'm sorry, but we don't have time for this."
They spent all day on the surface, clearing up the disaster left behind from the vicious attack; it was getting dark when the teams finally returned, but they would keep going back for the next week or more. Alex was dead tired when he entered his quarters and found Jen inside, setting the small table for dinner; after spraining her ankle that morning she was allowed to stay at the station.
"Are you okay?" she asked, worriedly.
"Fine," Alex answered, "just tired."
He kissed her neck and sniffed the food indulgently--- "Mmm . . . looks good, Jen." She smiled quickly, her eyes dancing as he made his way over to the bathroom and got changed into more comfortable clothes; returning a few minutes later, he pulled up a chair and promptly filled his plate.
One bite was all it took for him to nearly choke. Jen, being a farm girl, had been raised to cook, clean, and do other chores around the house . . . obviously, she hadn't caught onto the cooking very well. Jen looked at him with a scared expression in her eyes:
"Isn't it good?"
"It's fine," Alex said a little too quickly, forcing a smile when he had swallowed.
Jen frowned at him, then quickly took a bite of the meat to test it herself . . . "Oh, Alex," she groaned, "this is horrible!!! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to get upset," Alex replied with a shrug, "I thought maybe you liked it this way."
"Who would like it???" Jen laughed, "oh well. We could just go down to the cafeteria, I suppose."
"Don't bother," Alex said, "I'm not really that hungry anyway." He smiled. "At least . . . not for food."
"Alex!" Jen hissed, rising and taking their plates away.
Alex stood with her and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, she set down the plates and kissed him readily, running her finger up-and-down his neck and sending shivers down his spine. His hand rose and ran through her soft hair to the band holding it up, he quickly slipped it off so her hair fell over her shoulders.
"All right . . . " Jen sighed, "I'm hungry now, too."
Alex chuckled as they made their way to his bed, all thoughts of Sienna were put aside as they lay down together, their lips never parting. She moaned as his hand caressed her cheek and ran down her neck, slipping to her civilian shirt; he lifted it over her head as she worked on his own shirt.
"It's been a while," he said, breathlessly.
"Too long."
"Far too long . . . " he covered her mouth with his again.
Jen's hand found his leg and ran over it their tension growing more and more till they finally pulled the sheets over their bodies and began making love passionately, oblivious to the world . . .
TBC
Alex found Jen waiting for him outside of the captain's office, looking nervous as she stood up and faced him. "How many?" she asked.
"Twenty thousand," Alex whispered, "we just couldn't get them all off in time."
"Twenty thousand' people???" Jen gasped, her eyes watering as they welled up with tears. "So many . . . "
"And we saved thirty thousand," Alex told her, patting her shoulder. "There was nothing more to be done, we did our best."
"I suppose so," Jen said.
"How is that boy?" Alex questioned, "the last one we rescued. He lost his father."
"I saw him yesterday," Jen said, walking down the hall with Alex to the break room. "He's holding up, and so is his mother. Obviously, they're going through a horrible time---their home was completely destroyed. There's nothing left to go back to."
Alex nodded, then put his hand on her back and rubbed it gently. "I want to thank you," he said, "you made a wise decision in coming back, even after I told you not to. I would've been in trouble if you hadn't."
"I know," Jen said, confidently, "but you're welcome anyway. Just . . . don't ever ask me to leave you again."
"I won't," Alex assured her, entering the break room and going to get some coffee. "I've got some paperwork to do," he said, "I'll be back in a while. Want to go out tonight?"
"Okay," Jen said, "I'm off at five."
"See you then."
Alex took a quick sip and grabbed a piece of bread as he left the room, he still had three hours of work ahead of him before he could take a break, but he preferred to remain busy anyway. He turned the corner and ran headfirst into Sienna as she strode quickly down the hallway, she fell down and landed her hard on her backside.
"Sorry," Alex mumbled, offering to help her up.
"No problem." Sienna stood and smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with a cheerfulness Alex couldn't help but feel was inappropriate, given the recent circumstances. She had obviously developed her own personality, resembling the old Sienna in many ways . . . but not enough for him to love her the way he used to.
He brushed by her and quickly went into his office, hearing her footsteps following him inside. "May I help you?" he asked, doubtfully.
"Alex, give us another try," Sienna said, a hint of a whine in her voice. "We used to be good together, remember?"
"That was before," Alex pointed out, "a long time ago. Things have changed."
"What has changed?"
"You have . . . and so have I."
Sienna hurried forward so she stood in front of his desk, leaning on it and staring into his eyes hopefully, Alex couldn't help but stare right back at her . . . she was so beautiful.
"Kiss me, Alex," Sienna whispered.
"No," Alex replied.
"Just once . . . " she said, "give it a try, see how you like it."
"I-I can't," Alex said, "I don't want to."
"I know you do . . . "
In a moment, she had pressed her lips to his and they holding each other, both leaning over the desk and straining to be closer; she parted his lips with her tongue and pressed against the back of his neck with her hand.
Alex's eyes flew open and he jerked away quickly--- "Sienna, damn it," he muttered, "will you just drop it? I don't love you anymore!"
"You still have feelings for me," Sienna pointed out, "you weren't exactly resisting there."
"I love Jen," Alex insisted.
"No, you don't!" Sienna said.
"What are you insane???" Alex demanded, "this is ridiculous! For one, we're both respectable officers . . . and you're quite a hypocrite if you want to pursue this and criticize my relationship with Ensign Scotts."
"No, I'm not," Sienna said, "she is your subordinate. She has to take orders from you."
Alex sighed, shaking his head and turning away so he faced the window behind him; he heard Sienna sigh, then her quiet voice: "It won't work between you two, Alex . . . but it can work for us." A moment later, he footsteps disappeared down the hall as he continued to stare outside.
*****
"All right," Alex spoke as he led his team down to the surface of Xybria early the next morning. "We're looking for any survivors, do your best to clean up as well. Remember, this place is a home to thousands of people, and we want them to be able to go back there soon."
As he talked, the young Xybrian boy---Trip---hurried over. "Sir," he gasped, "can I come please? I want to see what it looks like down there."
"Absolutely not," Alex said, "it's still too dangerous down there. I can't risk a civilian---"
"I'm not a civilian," Trip interrupted, "Xybria is my home, I want to help."
Alex sighed, looking at Logan for an answer, the captain nodded slowly. "All right," Alex said, "but stick close to me, and watch where you step--- I don't want you falling through any holes, understood?"
"Yes, sir," Trip said, quietly.
They landed safely on the surface ten minutes later and went off in their own separate chalks, teams of twelve; Alex led his own around the destroyed town. The buildings had either completely collapsed, or were steadily burning; smoke still rose from the rubble, and he heard Trip whimper softly when they passed his house.
"Is anyone here???" one of the soldiers shouted, cupping his hands.
Alex had morphed in order to increase his hearing in hopes of hearing someone calling for help, but the only sound was that of the village slowly burning to the ground. Trip walked over to his house and stood in front of it with a despairing expression on his young face, Alex glanced to his side and saw him, and to his surprise he felt a wave of sympathy for him.
"How are you doing?" he asked in a quiet voice as he walked up.
"Okay," Trip answered with a shrug, "I miss my father."
"I know how you feel," Alex said, "I was a few years younger than you when I lost my own father. You seem to be a strong boy though, you'll be all right."
"I'm more worried about my mother," Trip admitted, "she's taking this really hard."
"She has you," Alex said as they started walking again.
"Um . . . Lieutenant?" Trip spoke up a little while later, "how do I apply for the Academy? I-I want to be in Time Force."
"Is that so?" Alex said, "well, we can discuss it when we get back. How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
Alex nodded. "Well then, you're a candidate," he said, "you seem sharp . . . a smart kid. The exam to get in is difficult, but I'll give you a practice one and see how you do, okay?"
"Thank you, sir!" Trip said, excitedly.
"No problem," Alex assured him, "we're always happy to have a new recruit . . . especially a promising one."
Alex and Lucas began working on a house that had crumbled to the ground during the night, it was obviously a job that would take a long time . . . time no one wanted to spend digging out bodies and clearing out what was left of their homes.
"This is horrible," Lucas muttered.
"I know," Alex said.
"Alex, look---" Lucas pointed to a disturbing image: A bloody hand reaching up from the rubble. "Dead?" he assumed.
Alex knelt and felt for a pulse, nodding slowly. "Yes," he said, "let's get to work digging it out."
The grisly task of removing the body lasted for an hour, trying to find a way through the heavy pieces of wood and metal. Finally, Lucas and Alex lifted the body and gently put it down on the street, to the horror of Trip and a few other young men and women.
"Did you know him?" Katie asked, putting her arm around Trip as Lucas and Alex returned.
"We all knew each other," Trip sighed, "he was just an old man who hung around . . . he was really kind."
Silence fell for a time as they reflected on the life lost . . . finally, Alex spoke: "Let's go. I'm sorry, but we don't have time for this."
They spent all day on the surface, clearing up the disaster left behind from the vicious attack; it was getting dark when the teams finally returned, but they would keep going back for the next week or more. Alex was dead tired when he entered his quarters and found Jen inside, setting the small table for dinner; after spraining her ankle that morning she was allowed to stay at the station.
"Are you okay?" she asked, worriedly.
"Fine," Alex answered, "just tired."
He kissed her neck and sniffed the food indulgently--- "Mmm . . . looks good, Jen." She smiled quickly, her eyes dancing as he made his way over to the bathroom and got changed into more comfortable clothes; returning a few minutes later, he pulled up a chair and promptly filled his plate.
One bite was all it took for him to nearly choke. Jen, being a farm girl, had been raised to cook, clean, and do other chores around the house . . . obviously, she hadn't caught onto the cooking very well. Jen looked at him with a scared expression in her eyes:
"Isn't it good?"
"It's fine," Alex said a little too quickly, forcing a smile when he had swallowed.
Jen frowned at him, then quickly took a bite of the meat to test it herself . . . "Oh, Alex," she groaned, "this is horrible!!! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to get upset," Alex replied with a shrug, "I thought maybe you liked it this way."
"Who would like it???" Jen laughed, "oh well. We could just go down to the cafeteria, I suppose."
"Don't bother," Alex said, "I'm not really that hungry anyway." He smiled. "At least . . . not for food."
"Alex!" Jen hissed, rising and taking their plates away.
Alex stood with her and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, she set down the plates and kissed him readily, running her finger up-and-down his neck and sending shivers down his spine. His hand rose and ran through her soft hair to the band holding it up, he quickly slipped it off so her hair fell over her shoulders.
"All right . . . " Jen sighed, "I'm hungry now, too."
Alex chuckled as they made their way to his bed, all thoughts of Sienna were put aside as they lay down together, their lips never parting. She moaned as his hand caressed her cheek and ran down her neck, slipping to her civilian shirt; he lifted it over her head as she worked on his own shirt.
"It's been a while," he said, breathlessly.
"Too long."
"Far too long . . . " he covered her mouth with his again.
Jen's hand found his leg and ran over it their tension growing more and more till they finally pulled the sheets over their bodies and began making love passionately, oblivious to the world . . .
TBC