I do not own The Orville or any of the characters, just taking them for a ride. Amara, however, is my original character and does belong to me. :)

"We were surprised to find a Xelayan on Carns 9. When she introduced herself as your sister, that was even more surprising. Did you know she was there?"

Alara smiled at Kelly as they sat across from each other in the Mess Hall. "No, we don't talk much."

Kelly nodded. "Oh, I know. This job doesn't leave a lot of free time to socialize or keep in touch."

Alara glanced across the room as Kelly took another drink of her beverage. Amara was sitting with John and Gordon as well as several other men. It wasn't surprising, Amara was always more sociable and flirty than she was. Men typically flocked to her. It had caused to few problems back home before.

Kelly continued to talk, but Alara couldn't bring herself to listen to what she was saying. Her gaze was firmly fixed on Amara and Gordon.

They were sitting across from each other, talking. She couldn't see Gordon's face as his back was to her, but she could see Amara's.

Smiling at Gordon, laughing at his jokes, casually reaching over and touching his arm, giggling and flirting with him so openly.

Alara hated it.

She watched as Amara reached over and touched Gordon's shoulder before slowly caressing him down his arm, her smile turning from friendly to seductive.

What...the...Hell!

"Alara!"

At Kelly's urgent tone, Alara turned back to Kelly only to see a look of shock on her face. She was looking at her hands. Alara looked down.

The glass she had been holding was gone, replaced with pieces of broken glass. She opened her hand slowly and watched as the few pieces that had remained had been ground into dust with only a few cuts here and there.

It was then she noticed that the room had gone quiet. She glanced and found that Kelly's outburst had not only gained her attention, but the attention of everyone else in the room, including Gordon and Amara, who still had her hand on his arm.

She stood suddenly, her mind racing. "Excuse me," she said to Kelly before walking out of the Mess Hall, forcing herself not to look at anyone.

She thought about going to the Medical Bay for her hand, but instead she walked down the corridors straight to her quarters. She ignored anyone who spoke to her or looked at her strangely. She ignored the slight sting in her hand as well.

She didn't stop moving until she was back in her quarters, sitting on her couch.

She didn't know why she was so angry. Gordon was a good-looking man and Amara always flirted with good-looking men. Gordon didn't belong to her, he was free to do what he wanted with who he wanted. There was no need for this feeling of jealousy.

Alara shook her head. This was getting her nowhere. She wasn't jealous, she couldn't be. It didn't make sense. She had to be mad because her sister was always good at talking and interacting with men. That had to be it. It was logical.

Alara leaned back and shut her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she started to think of Ed, as she normally did when she was upset. It seemed to help bring her back and calm her down.

She could see him in her mind. His dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, commanding presence, how he looked at her when she would lift something heavy or open a locked door, his smile. She could feel his hands on her body, his lips on her skin, his voice as he whispered her name.

Only it wasn't Ed's voice, it was Gordon's.

The image shifted and Ed's brown hair turned dark red, a light beard grew on his face and his eyes darkened to dark brown. That boyish smile was aimed at her, not her sister, just her.

Alara's eyes flew open. What the hell was wrong with her? First she slept with Gordon, then she needed him in her bed in order just to sleep and now he was invading her fantasies as well. She shook her head to will the image away before leaning back and staring at her ceiling. She sat like that, her mind clear, for quite some time before she shut her eyes again to try and bring up Ed's image.

Before she could do that the bell for her door rang indicating someone was on the other side.

For a split second Alara hoped it would be Gordon but quickly pushed that thought away. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was now quite late and he was probably back in his quarters for the night. She wondered if she should try sleeping alone again but decided now wasn't the time to think on that.

She stood and straightened her uniform before answering the door.

The door slid open and Alara found herself looking at her smiling sister.

"Sister!" Amara said loudly before she walked in and wrapped her arms around her younger sibling. "It's been too long."

Alara took a deep breath before returning the hug. At the end of the day, this was her sister after all. She still loved her, no matter how much she annoyed her.

Amara released Alara a few seconds later and moved into the room with a smile. "I'm sorry I didn't see you in the Mess Hall before. I was a bit..."

"Distracted?" Alara filled in, unamused.

Amara giggled. "I suppose. You are so lucky. You get to work with all these smart and handsome men."

"I don't typically notice," Alara replied dryly. As much as she did love her sister, right now she just wanted to be alone.

"Not notice? I can't even imagine. I would be unable to get any work done at all with guys like John and Gordon around."

Alara froze at Gordon's name. The way Amara said that cause chills up her spine. Her hand curled into a fist, a slight pain from her cuts the only indication to her that she had done so.

"What's the story with those two anyways?" Amara said casually. "They are both very handsome and funny."

This is what she was worried about. If Amara wanted to become involved with someone on the ship then it would cause problems down the road. Amara always was good at making men fall for her and then leaving them, even if it wasn't on purpose.

"What do you mean?"

"Is one of them single? Maybe Gordon?"

Alara thought about shutting her sister down, telling her Gordon was taken, but that was a ridiculous thought. He was single, they weren't together and even that brief kiss before could have been a fluke. Even if it wasn't...she loved Ed...didn't she?

Alara mentally shook her head. Of course she loved Ed. She had forever. What the hell was going on with her?

She looked at her sister. "They are both single as far as I know," she replied.

Amara's eyes widened and started to glow. Alara regretted saying anything in that moment. Really?" Amara said. "Then I could potentially have both before I have to leave the ship."

The thought of Gordon being intimate with her sister filled her with anger. She took a deep breath and kept her emotions even. It was the best way to deal with Amara.

"Amara, please do not get involved with them. I do not want a repeat of Marcian and Luce."

Amara looked at Alara with confusion. Alara sighed. "You dated Marcian, dumped him and then dated his best friend, Luce, who you also ended up breaking up with. Their friendship ended after they got into a fight over you. Remember?"

Amara narrowed her eyes as if trying to recall the moment when her face changed to realization as she remembered the incident. "Oh yeah, I had started dating that professor at a nearby school by then and completely forgot."

Alara sighed. "I haven't. It was a terrible fight. I don't want John and Gordon to end up the same way. They have to work together and I have to work with both of them. Please don't jerk them around."

Amara rolled her eyes. "Little sister, I know what I'm doing. I never jerk men around."

Alara knew she didn't do it on purpose, that Amara was just living her life right now, but Alara still couldn't let her do this.

"Amara, I have to work with these guys, so please..."

Amara nodded reluctantly. "I get it, jeez." She ran a hand though her hair in frustration. "Maybe I'll just enjoy my time with one of them."

Alara knew that this was probably the best she was going to get. Amara was smart, but she did enjoy spending time with men as much as she enjoyed her job. This was her idea of a compromise. Alara smiled. "Thanks."

"Besides," Amara continued, "It really isn't that far to the next space station and getting two men into bed would take too much time. I guess I'll just go for Gordon alone. He was very sexy and funny. I bet he would be great in bed."

Alara forced her smile to stay in place even thought she could feel the rage flowing through her veins. Why the idea of Gordon and Amara together bothered her she didn't know, but she didn't care.

She talked Amara into going to sleep, letting her know that now would be the best time for it as they were heading into night shift and slowing down so it would be calmer. Amara had wasted no time falling into Alara's bed and falling right to sleep.

Alara quickly moved out of her quarters and down the corridors, her mission clear.

If Amara could not be convinced not to pursue Gordon, then she would have to convince Gordon not to fall for Amara's charms.

She got to Gordon's quarters in record time and prayed that he was there as she pressed the bell. She took a deep breath and pressed the bell again.

The door opened and Alara walked right in without even looking at him. "We need to talk," she said before turning and freezing.

Gordon was only wearing a pair of sweat pants and nothing else. His bare chest was right before her eyes causing heat to flow through her veins. He had some muscle mass and a light layer of red hair on his chest, she could see the muscles in his arms as he moved. Her heart was pounding in her chest at every move he made.

The door shut behind him and he looked at her as if unaware of the havoc his body was causing on her system. "What's up?"

For a moment Alara forgot why she had come to Gordon's room. She took a deep breath to calm herself and clear her mind. It only helped slightly.

"Amara is going to try and sleep with you."

Gordon raised an eyebrow. "Okay..." he responded, clearly confused as to what was going on.

"I'm asking you not to encourage her."

Gordon nodded slowly as if still confused. "Okay..." then as he looked at her, his eyes widened in humor. "I have to ask, does she want to sleep with me like we do or...sleep with me?"

Alara rolled her eyes in frustration. "You know what I mean. She wants to...you know..." Alara suddenly felt her courage leave her as he moved closer to her, his bare chest coming closer to her.

He smiled. "No, I don't think I do."

Alara took a deep breath to try and clear her mind again, but it was more difficult with him closer to her.

She lifted her eyes to look in his face, doing her best to keep her eyes off his chest. His eyes were almost twinkling in mirth and that boyish smile only made him more appealing.

"So," he said softly, "what did you mean?"

He was teasing her, and enjoying it. Alara narrowed her eyes. "This is serious!" she said firmly. "Amara is terrible about relationships and has left many broken hearts behind her. It always happens. And we...we..." she blushed slightly as the thought of him in her bed holding her before mentally shoving the image away, "we work together. It would be awkward."

Gordon looked at her and smiled. "This really bothers you doesn't it?"

Alara looked at him confused. "What?"

"Thinking that I could be attracted to Amara."

Alara grew angry. Not because he could be attracted to Amara, but that he had been able to see right through her so easily. Embarrassment flooded her and she glared at him.

"No! I just don't want anything to get complicated once she leaves, cause she will leave. We still have to work together."

She moved away from him and stated pacing, her mind a whirl. She kept talking about how terrible it would be if Amara and Gordon had something going on and then she left and how it could affect their work relationship.

Gordon was barely listening as he watched her. He couldn't help the feeling that Alara was acting jealous.

But that didn't make any sense. Why would she be jealous? He felt his heart leap as he hoped that she was jealous. That would mean that she might, just might, feel something other than friendship for him. It was a foolish thought, but he couldn't help having it.

Gordon moved to stop Alara's movements, blocking her moving body with his own. His hands came up and rested on her shoulders.

Alara felt her heartbeat pick up at his touch, the room suddenly feeling a lot smaller. It didn't help when he leaned down closer to her until his face was only inches from her own. She could move forward slighting and their noses would touch.

"You forgot," he said, his voice low and husky, "we also need to sleep together."

Her blood started to boil as she had an urge to lift her hands and touch that bare chest only inches from her own body, to close that distance between them and press her lips to his. She wanted a repeat of that night that she could only remember glimpses of.

Gordon's eyes seemed to flash and he quickly released her and stood straight, putting the distance back between them. Alara instantly missed his closeness. He took a deep breath and looked at her, suddenly serious.

"I'm not interesting in Amara," he said firmly.

Relief flooded Alara at those words. Why she was so relieved, she didn't know. She let out a sigh and felt her whole body relax. She sat on the bed and just let the exhaustion take over.

"I'm sorry," she said. "My sister drives me crazy sometimes."

Gordon moved over and sat next to her. "Family does that." He put his arm around her and held her against him. "Sometimes you just have to put up with it."

Alara chuckled, her vibrations running along his body as she did. It relaxed him to feel her against him like this.

"That almost sounded smart," she said in a joking tone as her head relaxed on his shoulder.

He smiled. "I got a few good ones," he said as he rested his head on hers.

They sat like that in silence. He felt at peace, comfortable and calm. Usually he would be in his room feeling almost lonely, but right now he just felt...right.

He listened as Alara's breathing evened out before glancing down at her. She had fallen asleep in his arms.

Carefully, so not to wake her, Gordon moved her into a horizontal position on his bed. He removed her jacket and shoes before tucking her under the covers. She moved slightly as she settled in the bed, turning onto her side, before she relaxing.

He smiled at her. She looked so peaceful in sleep and he was glad that he could provide that to her.

She had come to warn him of her sister's intentions. It was both funny and cute. Amara was a flirt but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Besides, he was sure once he turned her down she would go for someone else. Gordon had seen many woman who believed that they could have any man they wanted but the minute one rejected them they moved on.

His father had hung around several of these women without his mother's knowledge.

Besides, although Amara was beautiful, Alara was much more so and had a inner light that shined out from within. Alara was smart, serious at times but still able to have fun, strong and not just physically, and has a vulnerability to her she doesn't like showing to others.

But she had shown him.

Gordon knew that if he fell for Alara it would not end well. She had stated many times that she was in love with Ed, even though Ed was completely oblivious to how she felt.

As his best friend, Gordon knew that Ed wasn't a bad guy, but he also knew that Ed could be single focused and was still hooked on his ex-wife. Gordon also knew that when you compared him and Ed, they were complete opposites. If Alara was in love with Ed, it would make sense that she would look for Ed-like traits in anyone else she became interested in. Gordon knew that he wasn't Ed, would never be Ed, could never be Ed.

Once Alara got the sleep she needed and was able to fall asleep without him being there, this closeness between them would end. As long as he didn't fall for her they would be able to maintain the friendship they had had since Ed took over The Orville.

He ran a hand over his face and sighed softly. He know all that, but it was still torture to be so close to her, hold her in his arms each night, wake up with her each morning, talk with her about anything and everything and nothing at all.

He yawned. He needed to sleep. Maybe Alara had passed off the insomnia she had before to him or something. He crawled into the bed behind Alara, careful not to disturb her. He looked at her back as he relaxed, wishing he could just reach out and pull her into his arms and against his chest, hold her as he truly wanted to.

He sighed once more before shutting his eyes. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent he associated with Alara, and drifted off to sleep.