II.
The Lieutenant stands for a moment with her back pressed against the door, a feeling of complete shock beginning to take over every part of her. She lifts her hands to wipe the last of the tears from her cheek, the sadness and heartbreak she'd been feeling now being joined a numbness that was slowly spreading from her chest.
Alec was gone and this time it felt like it would be forever. He had said things that she didn't think she would ever be able to forgive him for and she knew she had to promise herself she would never let him back, no matter how much she wanted him and how much he begged. Never again, Alec Ryder.
Cora closes her eyes tightly waiting for her breathing to even out, she hated arguing and confrontation but she mostly hated the horrible things her anger towards him had made her say. He'd spent months letting her convince herself that he was different to the man everyone said he was, months building her up and dangling the promise of a life together to keep her obedient and with him. He'd made her feel she was so close to happiness with him and would tear it away from her with no explanation as if he was testing her commitment to him while showing her none in return. He'd placed himself at the centre of her universe and now she was left with nothing. She'd put her life on the line for him and let herself fall for who she thought he could be.
She steps away from the door and over to the trunks and small kitbag that has been left on top of them. He'd asked her to pack them the essentials for their overnight stay on the ship before she had kissed him and waved him off like the little housewife she wanted to be.
Cora unzips the bag, slipping her hand inside and starting to rummage around for their toiletries. She hadn't packed much but Alec had promised her that they wouldn't stay for too long in the morning and that they would spend their last day together in their apartment.
They'd already packed the majority of what they wanted to take with them, and the restrictions had been quite strict. He'd been allowed a little more, but they had still spent hours trying to decide which of her favourites belongings and his favourite books would have to be left behind. Cora had never had many possessions before she'd met Alec, but they'd gathered quite a collection in their time together when their lives had become so entwined. Everything else had been packed into boxes and stored, even though they both knew they'd never see it again.
He'd also promised he would leave at the latest possible time to join the Arc. His promises meant nothing and now, to Cora, it was clear that the promises he had made had never sounded sincere. She couldn't believe she'd fallen for him and his lies. She should have known there would always be something more important than her. Cora huffs when she doesn't immediately find what she is looking for, so begins pulling the clothing out of the bag and setting it on top of the trunks next to it.
"This is why you shouldn't share your life with a man." Cora whispers to herself as she wraps her hand around the small bag that she knows contains her makeup. She wanted to get the next shuttle away from this ship and back home, but if she was going to go anywhere she thought she might need to fix the smudged makeup and eyes to not attract any attention or questions from others.
Cora stuffs his clothes back into the bag, leaving hers on the floor with her prize clutched tightly against her body, she drops Alec's kitbag next to the trunks. She was surprised the zip still worked on it after all the years that he had been travelling around with it. The fabric was tatty and the patches that had been stitched onto it were fading with age but he'd told it had brought him luck, and as long as he had his bag he made it back home. If she'd been a cruel and vindictive woman she might have sent the bag through the nearest airlock hoping he would go after it, but she wasn't.
"And this is why you shouldn't cry over a man." Cora sighs when she enters the bathroom and looks at her reflection. You could tell she had been crying, the red telltale rings beneath her eyes give it away. She runs the taps letting some warm water fill the sink, picks up the face cloth from the side and drops it into the water. After a few moments of the warmth on her face, she feels a little better and is if the puffiness around her eyes is lessoning.
Cora looks at her reflection again and down at her dress, attempting to smooth it out again and make herself look more presentable and less like she had been under the Pathfinder's hands. She feels another ache in her chest when she thinks of why she even wore this dress tonight, for him. Cora hears the quiet ping of her Omni-Tool informing her that she has a message. She sighs, Alec had made sure she didn't have friends anymore which means it could only be work-related. With a swipe of her finger, the display lights up on her arm. "Open messages." Cora mumbles as she opens the toiletries bag and begins spreading the items out on the counter.
She moves their toothbrushes aside looking for something else to try and make her face look less flushed. Cora picks up a small disc of foundation that she opens and begins applying with the foam sponge. After all of these years and still, no one had invented break-up and boyfriend proof makeup. "All new messages." Cora sighs as she sweeps it gently beneath her eyes but lowers them to read her new message. She feels a lump form in her throat when she sees who the message is from. Alec Ryder.
My Harper,
I didn't mean what I said.
I'm under a lot of pressure.
Forgive me, please?
It will never happen again.
Alec.
Cora considers hitting delete as fast as she can with a move of her finger and lets out an agitated huff. He didn't even have the decency to leave it more than a few minutes before trying to worm his way back in. She lets her finger hover over the block button for a moment, closing her eyes again trying to stop the tears. She sniffs, angry at herself for feeling like this, she knew it would happen sooner rather than later. Cora dismisses the block button with another swipe and moves to the reply button instead. She moves one finger slowly over the letters, ensuring that with every one she types she knows she means it.
'N-E-V-E-R-A-G-A-I-N' and, send.
Cora quickly finishes fixing her make up and making sure that she looks presentable enough to be going back to the party, she trails her fingertips through her hair and sprays a small amount of her perfume at the base of her throat. Part of her hoped she would run into Alec at the party so she could show him how completely unaffected she was at his actions and that she was quite happy without him. The other part of her knew if she ran into him she would break down in front of him and beg him to take her back, so she hoped she wouldn't for both of their sakes. A better plan would be for her to just make her way back to the transport dock as quickly and discreetly as possible, get on the next shuttle and leave all of this behind her. For a brief moment, Cora wonders if she could be on the next passage to Thesia and the Talien's Daughters. Back to her sisters, and convince them to take her back.
As soon as she slides open the dear she can once again hear the sound of the party still going on in the main room and that while her world was falling apart, everyone else was celebrating. She steps through and into the corridor that she knows would lead her back if she followed the direction of the noise. Cora plasters the best fake smile she can on her face when a group of guests walk pass her and wish her a good evening.
The Lieutenant walks as quickly as she can in her shoes and as to not out of place and trying to escape, down the hall towards the main room, her eyes scanning everywhere almost expecting to run into the Pathfinder. When she finally reaches the central room she sees that the party is still in full swing and no one has even noticed she was gone, she also can't see Alec anywhere so wonders where he has hidden away. They'd left things in such a way that he had left his armour and clothes in their room but who knew if he would want to retrieve it, she'd changed the code for the door anyway in case he decided to come back.
His big speech was still a few hours away and she wanted to be as far away as possible when he made it. He was going to name all of the members he'd selected for his Pathfinder team and as much as he had hurt her, she hoped her name would still be on his list. She should never have jeopardised her place on that team by getting so involved with Alec. Cora hears another ping of her Omni.
"Delete new messages.." Cora gives the command, lifting her arm to enter the authorisation code. "Block Alec Ryder for.." she begins thinking how many hours they had left for him to contact her. "36 Hours." She adds swiping away the warning message that appears, informing her that her action would mean no contact unless she authorised it to be undone.
Cora looks back up towards the room and spots that the group of officers and civilians that they had been speaking to, not long ago, are still gathered together toasting each other and almost making so much noise that they are drowning out everyone else in the room with their cheers. Cora scans the room for a moment trying to remember which way she came in on the shuttle and how to get to the docking area so she can leave.
"What do you mean there are no shuttles until after the speech?" Cora hears a man's voice asking as she enters the room that leads to the airlock, as she turns the corner she spots the owner of the voice speaking to an Initiative employee that is blocking the door to the shuttles. The door panel glows the familiar red of one that wasn't going to be opened any time soon. He has his back to her but she can see he is dressed in an Andromeda Initiative uniform of his own. Not an officer's uniform or a civilian suit like she had seen so many wearing tonight, but a more casual outfit.
On closer inspection, she knew that she recognised his grey and white fitted top in particular as one that was distributed to staff to wear when they were off duty. She had one very similar with her tonight, but hers had a light blue accent instead of the grey that he had. The Pathfinder also had his own set but he refused to wear and it had remained folded up in the bottom of their wardrobe until they'd had to pack up their apartment. It has long sleeves but she can see he has pushed them up to his forearms. His white fitted trousers too were standard issue and she was sure somewhere he would have a hoodie that matched, to finish his outfit.
"I'm sorry, Sir." The employee announces holding his hands up as if he is trying to calm the man in front of him before he gets angry. "Pathfinder's orders. He didn't want anyone leaving until after the announcements." He adds with a sympathetic look. "The next shuttle will be at 4 am." Cora huffs quietly when she hears his words; that was typical of Alec. He wanted everyone's undivided attention and now she was stuck for the night. Was he really going to be talking for three hours?
"But that is seven hours away.." The man sighs sounding like he is as desperate as she is to leave. "It's been a long day.." He adds. "I just want to go home, take a really hot shower, and sleep." Cora watches him placing his hand on the dockworker's shoulder. "What's your name?"
"Err.. Joe.." The worker stammers glancing nervously at the man's hand on his shoulder and then beyond him to where Cora watches. When he sees her, he looks happy to see that there is a witness in case it turns nasty and he gets in trouble for doing his job.
"Look, Joe." The man begins. "I'd appreciate it if you could just do this one favour for me and let me out to the shuttles. I just want to get a good night sleep, you understand that don't you buddy? I mean how long can that old man really go on for?" The man continues making Cora smile lightly at his attempt; she had to give him credit for trying.
"No shuttles until 4 am." Joe repeats making the man groan with frustration and drop his hand from his shoulder. Cora guessed she was going to have to return to the room and wait until morning, maybe try and get some sleep; the thought of waiting for the shuttle that early in the morning did nothing for her already fragile state. Maybe she would treat herself to a long, hot soak in that huge bath that she saw in their bathroom and a tall glass of something to go with it.
"I thought we were friends, Joe." The man whispers loud enough that she can hear, making a relieved smile creep onto Joe's face, looking glad that he wasn't going to be shouted at. "Thanks anyway, I will see you at 4 am. Save me a seat." The man adds as he turns, suddenly realising that Cora has joined them. It is only then that Cora spots the bag that he has on the floor at his feet, a bag that she recognises to be the same as Alec's precious one, which meant this man had to be military too.
"Is there a problem?" Cora asks, she glances at Joe who just shakes his head and then back to the grunt. The man shakes his head too as moves away from the door and picks up his bag and jumper. There it was.
She watches him lifting the bag onto his shoulder, shrugging the strap onto his neck. She could tell by the way that his muscles flexed in his arms and shoulders that the bag was heavy; his muscles straining beneath his shirt. Cora diverts her eyes when she realises she really shouldn't be staring at him or his muscles.
"Did you need to speak to Joe?" He asks nodding his head in the direction of the dockworker. "I'm sorry to be the deliverer of bad news. There are no shuttles." He adds as she watches the corner of his mouth lift into a smile, he didn't look very sorry but he did look like trouble. But there was no ulterior motive behind that smile that she could see, just warmth.
"Perfect." Cora sighs lightly and lowers her eyes for a moment when she looks back at him she sees that his smile has faded and he looks concerned. "This night just cannot get any better." She whispers. She imagined even with all of the efforts she was making she couldn't stop how she was feeling from creeping onto her face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so insensitive." The man begins as he steps away from the locked door and towards her. As he approaches her, Cora gets a better look at him and can immediately feel the intensity of his light blue eyes that are fixed on her. "Sometimes I just say the wrong things." He adds giving her a small smile. "Look can we start again? I'm Scott." He holds his hand out to her.
"Cora." She replies pausing for a moment wondering if she should shake his hand. He didn't look like he had escaped from prison or a hospital so that was a good sign, and he was wearing issued clothing so worked somewhere in the Initiative. Plus he had the most remarkably striking eyes she had ever seen and he seemed like he might be a nice enough guy. "It's nice to meet you, Scott." Cora gives him a small smile that doesn't come easy to her mouth and shakes his hand, which causes a large smile to tug at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm sorry for sounding presumptuous, but you look like you could do with a drink." Scott whispers "And it just so happens that I have a few hours to kill until I can leave." He adds. "I don't fancy sleeping on the floor in here, either." He laughs that makes Cora smile lightly again. She couldn't help it; his whole sincere demeanour was infectious.
"You don't have a room?" Cora asks raising her eyebrows in surprise. This grunt was important enough to be at the party but not enough to have been given a room. He wasn't dressed for the occasion either, so maybe he'd snuck onto the ship for the party and that's why he was so desperate to leave before he was discovered.
"Do I look like I'd get a room?" He asks motioning to himself making her laugh lightly. It felt so good to laugh and be in someone's company with no pressure and worry that Alec would be angry with her for speaking to anyone but him. His jealousy was frightening. She wondered when the last time Scott had slept in a bed as if he was a soldier it might not have been for some time. Maybe she should take pity on him and offer him her and Alec's room, as they weren't going to be using the large bed. "So would it be okay if I bought you a drink?" She watches him shrug the bag higher onto his shoulder; she wanted to say yes if anything so she didn't have to stand and watch him break his back with his heavy bag.
"I'm pretty sure it's a free bar." Cora scoffs when she realises what he has said. No one had offered to buy her a drink for years she couldn't remember the last time she did anything that wasn't either working or being with Alec. He didn't take her anywhere that wasn't work involved, on missions or training. The closest they'd got was their daily visits to the common areas on the station, and it was never because he wanted to spend time with her. She knew that they'd never spent time together in public as a couple and they would never, ever go on a date. Whenever they had been seen together it was strictly mentor and student.
"Then I'll buy you two drinks," Scott replies rolling his eyes trying to make her smile. "If I was to go and stash my bag somewhere and ask you to meet me at the bar, do you promise you won't run away and will be there when I get back?" He asks her, a cheeky grin appearing on his face. She doubted anyone would run away from him and was sure he would have women throwing themselves at him just to see that smile.
"Do you usually have trouble with that sort of thing?" Cora asks smiling at him and then mentally kicking herself, she couldn't believe she was flirting with him. She'd known him for only a few minutes and she was saying things like that to him. She sees him chuckle at her question.
"Not a problem for me," He pauses for a moment and she can see his brow furrow as if he is contemplating his next sentence. He scrunches up his face slightly as if he's self-conscious. "I might as well embarrass myself now rather than later." Scott laughs. "But I'd like you to be there.." Cora sees a light blush creep onto his cheeks, which makes her smile; he was beyond adorable.
"Fine, okay." Cora nods seeing another smile appear on his face, she bites her bottom lip for a moment.
Was she crazy to even be considering spending time with this man? After everything she'd been through tonight, she didn't think she was in any position to be making friends with handsome strangers. But, there was something about him that made her want to know more about him and if she never saw him again, at least she'd spent a few hours with someone that radiated happiness rather than trying to drag her into a black hole like Alec. The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to be left with her thoughts and the idea of being alone this evening was terrifying. Plus, even though she wasn't much of a drinker; she really needed a drink.
"Thank you." Scott replies giving her a last smile before she watches him turn and walk away from her, taking his bag with him. She didn't know why he was thanking her, it wouldn't take him long to discover how damaged she was and he wouldn't be so keen to buy her a drink then. Luckily they were leaving for Andromeda soon and they probably wouldn't run into each other when they got there.
The Lieutenant glances around her; suddenly embarrassed that Joe had been witness to the whole thing and her awful attempt at talking to another human being. She was out of practice. She gives him a light smile and nod goodbye before quickly heading out of the airlock and back towards the party. Cora had almost completely forgotten that the party was going on when she'd been talking to Scott and she'd also almost completely managed to ignore the nagging feeling of sadness that was trying to take over her, too.
Cora walks back into the party and makes a beeline for the bar; she didn't want Scott to come back and not find her there. The bar itself would rival any of the bars on the larger space stations and planets she had been stationed on and it takes up a large amount of the room, curving to follow the shape of it. High backed bar stools run the entire length of the bar, most of them currently occupied by people ordering their drinks or sitting and chatting with friends. Cora spots that there are two empty stools right in the centre of the run, but that the position they are in is quite exposed. Deciding it was better than nothing she quickly claims them before anyone else can.
"Would you care for a drink?" The waitress that is passing offers her the tray of tall glasses again as she sits down on the high bar stool, resting the tips of her toes on the rung between the chair legs to help keep her balance. Cora glances up at the tray and the light bubbly liquid in the glasses; it would be a good start.
"Two, thank you." Cora nods and watches as the waitress carefully balances the tray on her shoulder and arm so she can reach to remove one glass at a time from the tray and hand them to Cora. "Thank you." Cora says again receiving a smile in response from the woman. She lifts one of the glasses to her lips taking a small sip of the liquid, enjoying the bubbles but not the taste. Too bitter.
Cora turns her attention away from the drinks in her hands and glances around the room, wondering where Scott was leaving his bag and how long he would be. Maybe he had changed his mind. Cora sniffs lightly; this is what Alec had done to her. Made her believe that no one would want to spend time with her and that she wasn't worthy of anyone's interest or attention. But she was going to enjoy this drink with Scott and try and forget about The Pathfinder, even if for only a few hours.
Just when she is about to convince herself to run back to her room and hide and that he isn't coming back, she sees him across the other side of the room talking to a dark-haired woman. Their conversation appears quite animated and being unable to hear what they are saying, she would guess that they might be arguing. Cora feels guilty for watching them for longer than she should. She had only just met him and it was none of her business who he spoke to, or in what context.
The Lieutenant turns her attention away pretending that she had never spotted him, she goes back to watching the bubbles rushing to the top of her glass and popping. She places one of the glasses down on the bar and takes another small sip.
"Are you starting without me?" Scott asks as appears at her side making her glance up when she hears his voice. Cora smiles when she sees that he has had the same idea as her and holds two matching glasses in his own hands. She also sees that in his absence he has pulled his hooded sweatshirt on, zipping it up tight to his neck to keep him warm. Cora hated that about space, it was always not quite warm enough and not quite cool enough. "I said I'd buy you two drinks." He lowers his voice making her smile "Now we have four." He adds as she watches him place his drinks down on the bar next to her two and sit onto his bar stall.
"You haven't bought me any. You took those from a tray, the same as I did." Cora laughs lightly, starting to feel more at ease. Scott lifts one of his glasses and holds it up to her; she does the same and lets her glass clink against his before taking another drink from it. She didn't like the taste but he'd been kind enough to bring them over another glass and she didn't want to offend him. "What are we celebrating?" Cora asks looking at him over the top of her glass. She feels him lift his eyes to settle on her face and smiles.
"Well," Scott begins, she sees him bring his hand up to his face and rub the back of his knuckles against the dark and patchy facial hair on his chin that she assumes he is attempting to grow. "You still being here is pretty good for me." Scott replies clinking his glass against hers again, she drops her eyes from his wondering if he could see her blush.
Cora lifts her glass to her lips again trying to give herself a moment to think. She knew that she should say goodnight to him and they should go their separate ways before he said anything he'd regret. He was a nice guy and she was enjoying his company but she knew nothing about him and he knew nothing about her. She also knew that he was making her feel like there was nowhere else she'd rather be than sipping a drink she hated all night with him. Cora sighs wondering where Alec might be but tries to push that thought away, she deserved to be happy for a couple of hours and spend time with people that wanted to spend time with her. Alec had made his choice and had decided he didn't want her around.
"To new friends." Cora finally announces receiving a nod in agreement from him. She watches him lift his drink and take a small mouthful, sipping hers politely as she fixes her eyes on him. Cora laughs when she sees him scrunch his face up in disgust and spit what is left of the mouthful of his drink out all over the floor and begin coughing. Cora quickly takes the glass from him and puts it down on the bar, grabbing some paper napkins and placing them in his hand. "Are you okay?" Cora laughs, bringing her hand up to try and hide it.
"That has got to be the worst thing I've ever tasted." Scott coughs standing up from his barstool and using the paper napkins to try and wipe the drink off of him that has gone down the front of his hoodie. "I have had some questionable drinks in my life." He adds. "How can you drink that?" He asks pushing his glass further away from him.
"I didn't like it either but you didn't have to be so dramatic about it." Cora laughs when he looks up into her face again, he scrunches his nose up at her making her laugh even more. He takes the glass away from her and she is glad that she isn't going to have to pretend to like it anymore. Cora notices that a few people have stopped their conversations and are now glaring disapprovingly in their direction.
"I'm so sorry you had to see that." He sighs glancing down at the floor and then back at her. "Now that I've embarrassed you in front of all these people, I'd understand if you want to call it a night and make your escape." He adds; sitting back on his stool, he dabs at the wet on his jumper a couple more times before turning his attention back to her.
"I was actually about to tell you how attractive that was," Cora whispers seeing the smile return to his face, she bites the inside of her lip for a moment and sees him shake his head. "Seriously, that was hot." Cora smiles to herself when she sees what she thinks is a light blush on his cheeks. Scott thought he was so smooth but he was turning out to be so much more than that, he was funny and she liked that he didn't seem to take himself too seriously. There was something very attractive about that. As out of practice she was at this, he was making it easy.
"Well thank you for saving my feelings." Scott mumbles, she sees him flash and apologetic smile to the bartender that has to remove their glasses and the wet napkins. "This is why I don't get invited to parties, Cora." He sighs pretending he is upset about that. "I don't think they are going to let us drink here again." He adds nodding his head towards the bartender who is frowning at them.
Cora wasn't very keen on parties either, but it was because she hadn't been to any for so long. These days she would always stay at home and work or read, spend time with Alec. But that was the old Cora and soon this new version of herself that would be in Andromeda and she could work on healing her heart and becoming a better person for herself. Refocused on what she wanted and getting promoted through the Initiative. No more distractions.
"Luckily for them, we won't be here for much longer," Cora whispers to him before turning her attention to the bartender, she picks up the datapad with the drinks list and glances over it quickly. She didn't have any clue when it came to drinks so she settles on the one that sounded the most interesting. "Can we have two of these please?" She asks him, giving him her sweetest smile in the hopes he won't spit in their drinks.
"So.." Scott begins drawing her back to him, she watches him turn on his barstool slightly so that they are completely facing each other. She feels his knees gently brush hers as he does. "If you've decided to forgive me and stay," Cora smiles and places her hands in her lap, linking her fingers. "Would you like to tell me why you were so keen to leave? Didn't you want to stay and hear what the great Alec Ryder has to say?"
"I could ask you the same question." Cora replies, glad to see that he has returned with their drinks so that she can avoid Scott's question. She picks up the glass and examines it for a moment, watching the two glacier cherries that have been placed into her drink fight with the ice cubes.
"I asked first." Scott smiles as he leans forward picking up his drink. "I promise I won't spit this one out." He adds; she watches him taking a tentative sip before nodding his head in approval. "I don't mean to pry, I just mean you seemed upset when we first met. If there was something you wanted to talk about.." Scott continues, she sees him pause for a moment. "Sometimes it helps to talk about things that are bothering us. Especially with someone who isn't too involved in whatever it is, that's bothering us.." His voice trails off when Cora shakes her head. He didn't need to know about Alec and she wasn't ready to talk about it with anyone, let alone someone she has just met. It was a kind gesture from him though, but he didn't even know her.
"Is that why you were leaving?" Cora asks watching him take another drink; he shakes his head at her question and gives her a reassuring smile.
She couldn't imagine that many things bothered Scott, he portrayed himself in such a positive way she couldn't imagine anyone wanting to hurt him. He probably had a lot of friends and girlfriends, maybe boyfriends? No, he was looking at her as if he was interested in being more than her friend.
"No, I just don't care what the Pathfinder has to say." Scott finally replies taking her by surprise. She knew Alec had a lot of people that didn't like him. No one denied that he was a skilled military man, but his exit from the Alliance hadn't been on good terms and now a dark cloud followed him and no one wanted to talk about it. Some worshipped the ground he walked on but many thought he was a fake and that he had made his way to the top under dubious means. She'd always tried to ignore the whispering she heard about Alec, from those that didn't like him.
"That's a very bold statement to be making at his party." Cora laughs lightly seeing him smile. "In case you hadn't noticed all the very large promotional pictures of him hung on the walls." Cora adds hoping this would be the last time they talked about Alec. She was trying to forget about him and didn't need any help reminding. The last thing she needed to be doing was trying to defend him and end up pouring her heart out to Scott.
"I'd noticed." Scott laughs. "But I'm kind of a bold statement type of guy." Scott smiles. Cora picks up her glass again and takes a long drink enjoying the highly spiced liquid and the warmth as it goes down her throat. "You look lovely in that dress, for example." Scott announces making her look up at him again. Charmer.
"You've never seen me in anything else." Cora giggles suddenly realising that she might have taken too many long drinks on an almost empty stomach. She sees Scott motion to the bartender for another round of drinks.
"Maybe we could change that." Scott laughs making her roll her eyes at him and lean forward and jab her finger into his ribs. Scott mouths 'ow' to her and rubs the spot she has poked. "I meant, I have my Initiative sweats in my bag and you'd look amazing in those. We could take some pictures for me to remember you by.."
"Not better." Cora giggles again and tries to take another jab at him but he catches her hand and bats it away with his. "But, maybe later." She adds; hearing him chuckle at her bold statement. Cora again mentally kicks herself, this wasn't her usual style and she didn't want him to think it was. It was the drink, right? The one that she could feel warming her body, and numbing the hurt.
Cora looks at him for a moment wondering how a man like him ever found himself on his own and not constantly surrounded by friends and family. Scott was very noticeably at this party alone and although she was sure she kept catching people looking at him as if they were all very interested in what he was doing, no one was talking to him.
"I know you don't want to talk about it." Scott leans forward on his barstool again drawing her attention back to him. She lifts her glass to her lips knowing exactly where this was going. Cora could feel how warm her cheeks were getting with every mouthful. "But whoever he is, that made you sad.." Scott continues making Cora sigh; she didn't want to talk about this. "Another bold statement. He's an asshole."
"Yes, he is," Cora nods, a complete and utter asshole "But I don't want to talk about him." She whispers seeing him nod; she could see that he understood and hoped he wouldn't mention it again. Cora swirls the cherry in her glass for a moment, it always had been her favourite part of any drink.
"Well, I think that you are beautiful. It is his loss." Scott smiles and leans closer to her again. "So let's talk about something we can talk about. What is your job in all of this, Cora?" Scott asks as he leans back slightly on his barstool, looking like he is trying to stretch out something that is bothering him. Definitely military she decides and favouring an injury by the looks of it. She had him completely figured out.
"Human Resources." Cora replies, smiling lightly when she sees Scott raise his eyebrows in surprise. She didn't think telling him what she did was a good idea, especially if he was so anti-Alec Ryder. No one knew anyone that worked in HR so she was covered. Plus she wasn't entirely lying; there was a lot of paperwork involved in her job too and she'd spent a lot of time up close and personal with the Pathfinder.
"You don't strike me as a Human Resources kind of woman," Scott replies; she watches him shuffle forward on his barstool again. He picks up his next drink and lifts it to her. "To the most beautiful woman in Human Resources." He smiles making her giggle again; he was so cute. "Actually, make that the whole of the Initiative." He adds as they let their glasses touch again and drink, it was going to her head. "Don't you want to know what I do?"
"I already know.." Cora begins seeming a smile tug at the corner of his mouth as he takes another sip of his drink. "I have you all figured out, Scott." Cora whispers to him, she sees him fix his eyes on her and narrow them as if he is trying to decide if she has or not.
"Of course you have." Scott chuckles "Smart woman like you, I don't doubt it." Cora drops her eyes from him, she didn't know how many more compliments she could handle having not heard them for so long. "So what am I?" He asks drawing her attention to him again.
"A Solider." Cora states confidently, it was obvious. But she wonders if she is just hoping he was military, like her, so that they had that in common. Cora takes another long drink until she drains the last of it from the bottom of the glass; she picks the cherry out of the glass with her fingertips and brings it up to her mouth.
She gives him a small smile before popping it between her lips. Cora notices that Scott has gone quiet and is watching her, she sees him moisten his bottom lip with his tongue and she wonders if he'd mind if she kissed him. Maybe that was too forward. But maybe that would be nice, too. It would take her mind off of Alec and his mouth looked very soft and inviting. She feels her body warming for a different reason when she thinks about his mouth on hers.
"Wrong." Scott finally replies making her huff. She knew she was right and she was going to prove it. Cora had spent time with soldiers just like him during her time in the Alliance and she knew a man on shore leave when she saw one, although he was certainly taking his time inviting her to bed.
"Show me your hands," Cora replies watching him tilt his head slightly in question, wondering why she is so interested in seeing his hands. "Hands, Scott." She asks again reaching forward and drawing his hand towards her.
Cora feels him watching her at she examines his hand, turning it over in hers and letting her fingers trail slowly over the back of it. She lifts his hand higher to inspect more closely. His hands were soft but she could feel that his skin was tough, that meant he spent a lot of time in armour but also out in the elements. Cora lets her fingers trace the shape of his knuckles and feels the signs of harder skin that comes with years of friction between shooting a weapon and wearing gloves. Military gloves had to be practical and strong, they weren't kind or forgiving.
"We can hold hands, I don't mind." Scott lowers his voice and gives her a small smile that she returns, she feels him pull his hand back from her slightly only to take hold of hers in his. He lowers their hands onto her knee. "Well?" He smirks.
"I haven't finished yet." Cora giggles she looks down at their hands when she feels him gently rub his thumb against the back of her hand. When she looks back into his face she sees him smile and feels her stomach begin to flutter.
"Can you stand up?" Cora replies quickly trying to pull herself together, lusting after this handsome stranger was dangerous but the way he was looking at her made her feel wanted. "Please?" She gives him her sweetest smile making him laugh. She feels him reluctantly let go of her hand and move to stand.
"As you asked so nicely," Scott replies, she watches him slide off of the stool and sees his hand briefly move to his ribs as he does. He stands next to her, holding his arms at his sides waiting for her next inspection. "Is this what you do in Human Resources? I feel this is more like I'm having a medical." He grins at her. Cora knew people were starting to watch them and she knew that the more they were drinking the less she was caring.
"I know you are a Solider." Cora begins as she stands up off of her barstool. He was a little taller than her, around the six-foot mark she imagined and his physique was military. "Your hands don't belong to some that works in an office.." She continues. "You have calluses on your knuckles from wearing Alliance issue gloves." She adds seeing him glance down at his hands and give them a stretch. "You are obviously very fit." Cora adds seeing a large smile appearing on his face.
"Thank you for noticing." Scott smirks making her giggle again.
"So you must be in a physically demanding job." Cora corrects her words seeing him shrug at her again. She trails her eyes over him for a moment. He was very physically fit; his body was in good shape and strong. He filled his clothes out in all the right places and he had the broad shoulders and chest of someone that did a lot of strenuous activity. She bet he looked amazing in his armour. Cora moves her eyes back to his face when she has finished her inspection of him.
"You are obviously strong and I imagine you do a lot of.." Cora stops completely losing her train of thought when Scott steps closer to her because he is moving out of the way of someone that wants to get to the bar "..exercise." she adds seeing him shrug again. She knew she was right.
"Neither of those things proves anything. The gloves could be because I'm a farmer and being fit doesn't mean military." He pauses. "I could just do manual work." Scott adds he laughs when she shakes her head. Was he ashamed of being a grunt or did he think he was being mysterious?
"You are too clean to be a farmer." Cora giggles. "I have two more things that I know will prove that you are in the military and you can't deny either of these." Cora watches him tilt his head as he crosses his arms across his chest again. "Number one.." Cora begins; she takes hold of his wrists uncrossing them so that she has access to his body. He holds his arms open to her, waiting for her next move. Cora couldn't help but wonder if he'd mind wrapping them around her.
Cora takes hold of the metal zip on the front of his hooded top between her thumb and first finger, she sees him lower his eyes to her hand and then back to her face when he sees what she is doing. Cora fixes her eyes on him as she slowly slides it down his front, undoing his hooded jumper. Undressing this man was fun and rewarding, like unwrapping a gift you'd been waiting to receive all year. Cora sees him flush slightly and thinks that he is probably thinking the same thing and imagining her removing the rest of his clothes too. Scott helps her slide his jumper off of his arms and tosses it over the back of his bar stool. She places one hand on his waist and takes hold of the bottom his t-shirt with the other.
"Woah Woah Woah.." Scott laughs grabbing hold of her hand in his. "If you are going to be undressing me, you need to warn me first so I can breathe in." Scott hisses making her laugh even louder. "I've been eating a lot of strawberry pudding recently and if you want to see my abs, I'll need to hold my breath." He adds which sets her off into fits of giggles.
"Stop." Cora giggles placing her hands on his waist again, she couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much and was now very interested in seeing his body, even if he was going to hold his breath.
"I'm serious, Cora." Scott whispers to her, she lowers his head bringing his face in line with hers. She sees him bite his bottom lip slightly and wonders if he is going to kiss her. "I really like strawberry pudding.." He whispers and she sees that he is trying hard to keep his face and voice serious. She liked strawberry pudding too; this was obviously destined to be. "Okay holding my breath in three..two.." Scott stops counting and takes a deep breath, she sees him clamp his mouth shut tightly like she remembered doing as a child.
"You've been injured recently?" Cora continues, she looks at his face and sees him nod lightly while holding his breath. The Lieutenant takes hold of the bottom of his shirt again and lifts it. Holding his breath or not, which he clearly didn't need to, he had a great body and his perfect abs were delightful. "This is from a blaster?" Cora adds as she spots signs of a previous injury that looks like he took a blaster shot just below his ribs.
She can see that he's had it for some time but she knew from experience that it would leave you sore for weeks, even months, especially in a place like that. Modern medicine, implants and technology healed everything much quicker these days but some things will always leave their mark. Before the advances in modern medicine, this would have been an instantly fatal injury.
Cora places her hand gently on his stomach where the injury had been, feeling him tense slightly at her touch and how soft and warm his skin is. She knew he must have been in agony when it happened. Cora spots another few scars on his stomach, years old but he'd seen conflict.
"Being a farmer is very, very dangerous." Scott pants when he releases the breath he's been holding. Cora narrows her eyes at him again making him laugh. When you were enrolled in the military, especially the Alliance if you got hurt you had a much better chance of surviving. Sadly the same couldn't be said for the average settler. Medi Gel wasn't cheap and not everyone knew how to make it. He sits back down on the edge of his stool and picks his drink up again. She watches him pat her bar stool inviting her to sit, which she does, but this time he takes hold of the edges of her seat and drags her closer to him.
"I'm sorry, was I too far away?" Cora lifts her drink and looks at him over the top of it again as she takes a sip. She watches him lift his arm and bring it down to rest on the top of the back of her chair. She feels his hand come into contact with her back and the gentle touch of his fingers, his touch light but making her skin flush.
"Maybe a little." Scott smiles making Cora blush. He was definitely different to anyone else she'd ever been on a date with, although this wasn't technically a date. She looks at him for a moment when she feels his eyes on her. His baby blues were slightly more hazed with alcohol than they had been but they were sincere and kind.
"My last piece of evidence is.." Cora removes the drink from his other hand, placing it on the bar so that she can take hold of his hand. Cora rests their hands on her knee, enjoying the warmth of him on her again. "If you can show me your arms and there are no clip burns on them, I'll believe you." Cora sees a small smile tug at his mouth as he shakes his head.
She turns his hand over so his palm is facing up so that she can see his the underside of his arms. She places her hand on his forearm, using it to push the sleeve of his top further up showing the very light but very noticeable scars from being burnt by overheated clips during training. Cora smiles lightly when she sees them and feels his eyes fix on her again, he lifts his hand slightly behind her and places his palm on her shoulder.
Every overconfident and cocky recruit ended up with burns. They would let their inexperience in handling a weapon get the better of them, leaving a constant reminder that they'd fucked up, on their skin. They'd leave a clip in for too long so that when the clip was full and they tried to eject it, they wouldn't be practised enough to know how to eject it away from themselves or their bodies.
Cora thinks about Alec for a moment, he was covered in scars from his near 40 years of being a soldier, proof that he too had fucked up. She tries to shake away the thought and focus on Scott when he places his hand on her knee again, it draws her straight back to him.
"Human Resources huh?" Scott chuckles making her smile, okay so maybe she had just blown her cover but it was worth it to prove she was right about him. Cora turns her arm over and shows him her burns. She'd been overconfident too. "I knew you were special." Scott laughs as he lets his fingers trace the shape of her scars before looking back at her again.
"I'm nothing special," Cora giggles but he just shakes his head at her, he obviously didn't agree. "But I am a grunt, just like you." Scott takes her hand in his again to his face placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles where she has her scars. He links his fingers through hers and places his other arm around the back of her stool again leaning closer to her.
"Initiative gloves are a lot more forgiving on the hands." Cora whispers wondering when it suddenly got so hot in the room and why she was suddenly feeling so drunk. Scott was military, no doubt, but it sounded like the Initiative wasn't his first, maybe he'd been Alliance like her. She wondered if their paths had ever crossed before because everything about him was familiar.
"I agree." Scott whispers as she as he leans towards her, settling his eyes into hers. "But you are special Cora, more than you know." He leans closer still until she can feel his breath on her face and can smell the heady and delicious smelling aftershave that he is wearing. Please kiss me.
"I guess there is one thing that makes me special compared to you, flyboy." Cora giggles seeing him smile at her words. Jump jets were a common sight these days in their modern armour and was yet to meet a soldier that didn't spend far too much time leaping about the battlefield. Her Biotics were much more efficient and deadly than his jetpack and she often found she would use her powers rather than her jets.
"Holy shit." Scott mumbles when he realises what she means. "You're a Biotic?" He asks, his eyes widening in surprise. Cora wasn't sure why she was telling him this. She was only recently becoming truly proud of her powers but people were still, after all of this time, wary of a power they still didn't feel could be contained. Years of being shunned and hated because of who she was, had taken its toll.
Scott was either going to run a mile now that he knew because the idea of her power scared him or, like every other guy she'd met, ask her if she glowed blue while she was having sex. Which she did, but only when it was really, really, good.
"I shouldn't have told you." Cora begins but sees him shaking his head. She waits for the question, but it doesn't come from his mouth so she assumes he would be the type to run away. "I'm well trained, I'm fairly stable." She continues until she feels him squeezing her hand, which draws her focus back to his face.
"You are amazing, Cora." Scott whispers giving her a reassuring smile. "You are gorgeous, funny.." He begins making Cora sigh; he was being too sweet to her. "You know how to handle a weapon and you have this incredible power too?" He laughs. "Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?" He asks giving her a lopsided grin. Cora lowers her eyes from him; the idea of anyone falling in love with her was alien. She'd wanted so desperately for Alec to love her and had thrown everything into her relationship with him, only now was she realising exactly how one-sided it had been. "Can you show me?" He asks making her shake her head lightly. "Just a little?" He whispers.
"Not here." Cora laughs lightly seeing him nod; she was glad he didn't think she was being rude and that he understood that now wasn't the time to be lighting up the room. Cora feels Scott rubbing his thumbs against the back of her hands again and remembers that she was pretty sure he was about to kiss her.
"Are you planning on kissing me anytime soon?" Cora asks immediately wishing she hadn't said it and damning those drinks for giving her false courage. She wasn't always so bold, but she did usually know what she wanted. Did she really want him to kiss her? Would it be so awful to throw all caution to the wind for a change and do something she wouldn't usually do?
"I thought you'd never ask." He whispers leaning closer to her again until his face is almost touching hers. "I've been thinking about kissing you since I first saw you." He mumbles pulling back slightly, she sees his tongue moisten his lips again. Oh yes, she wanted to kiss this man and forget that there was ever anyone else. Scott would look after her heart even if just for the night. Maybe she didn't need an Alec tonight, she needed a Scott.
"Then do it." Cora feels the excited butterflies inside her when she sees another smile on his lips but seconds later they are pressed against hers in a way she is sure no one has ever kissed her before. Scott lifts his hand and places it on her cheek drawing her closer to him still as she feels his fingertips cover her ear and his thumb caressing her skin. His mouth is gentle against hers as if he is carefully exploring her lips with his seeing how well they fit together.
"That was nice." Cora whispers when he leans back, breaking their kiss. Incredible is what she wanted to say but that surely wasn't something you just went around telling people. She still had thirty-something hours in this galaxy left and kissing Scott would be a very rewarding way to spend them. She sees a cheeky smile appear on his face.
"You know what." Scott sighs. "Can I have another go? I was a bit nervous and think I can do better than nice." He laughs making Cora giggle, if he wanted to try again she was more than happy to assist. "I'll be asking for constructive feedback after." He adds but before she can say anything further Scott takes hold of both of her hands and drags her up onto her feet. Cora feels herself wobble slightly realising how much she has had to drink and how unsteady she now is.
She watches him step closer to her again until the length of his body is nearly against hers, she places her hands on his chest sure she can feel how fast his heart is beating beneath her palms. He places a hand on her face again while the other one wraps around her waist holding her flush against him. He bends his head down but Cora quickly steps up onto her toes to meet him and kissing him before he can get there first. She feels him smile beneath her mouth at her actions before deepening their kiss. The Lieutenant lifts her arms to wrap around his neck, her hand finding its way into his dark hair encouraging him. She feels him slide his hands down her back and come to rest at her waist. She wondered if SAM had reported her increased heart rate to the Pathfinder yet because of the way he was touching her she knew it was spiking. Cora hums gently against his mouth when she tastes the spiced liquor they'd been drinking on his tongue. Scott breaks the kiss and she immediately misses his lips, she looks into his face and sees that familiar look of lust in his eyes. He lifts his hand to brush her hair away from her face and presses another gentle kiss against her lips.
"A solid 9." Cora giggles; so solid of a 9 he was so nearly a 10. "But I think we could get it to a 10." She adds seeing him smirk and bend to kiss her again. Cora wraps her arms tighter around his shoulders. He'd need to be wearing a lot fewer clothes to earn his extra point.
"Did you want to find somewhere quieter?" Scott asks nodding his head in the general direction away from the bar. Somewhere quieter and private that he could keep kissing her away from prying eyes she hoped. "I can't concentrate on you with all this noise." He adds fixing his blue eyes on her.
Cora looks at him and realises if she kissed him again she didn't think she'd be able to stop. But she deserved this; she deserved to connect with someone even if it was just this once. Tomorrow they would part ways but maybe just for tonight, he could show her that she was worth someone's time. She didn't want to be alone on their last night and maybe he didn't either.
"Scott.." Cora sighs, she sees the smile fade from his face and be replaced by a disappointed look.
"No, it's okay. You don't have to explain. I shouldn't have asked," Scott begins. He lets go of her looking embarrassed. "I can tell you are hurting and I understand if you aren't in the right place, I've been too forward and if you are having a bad night." Scott adds as she watches him pick up his jumper; he'd taken her hesitance as her not wanting to spend the night with him.
"Scott.." Cora giggles; he stops what he is doing to look at her with a question behind his eyes. "Do you want to come back to my room?" She asks seeing his eyes widen slightly when he hears what she is saying. "We're adults.." Cora adds giving him a small smile, she takes hold of the zip again and plays with it between her fingers. "I think it's obvious that we both want this?" She asks, she hoped she wasn't going to scare him off but they didn't have much time left.
"That would be great." Scott mumbles making Cora laugh, he'd been so sure of himself a few minutes ago and now she'd stopped him in his tracks. Cora uses his zip to pull him closer to her so she can kiss him as he places his hands on her hips. Cora wraps one arm around his neck as the other hand slides down his chest and slips her hand beneath his shirt. Cora reluctantly breaks away from him and lifts her arm bringing up her Omni-Tool feeling how flushed she is from his hands and mouth on her, she didn't think they'd be allowed to any party ever again if they started undressing each other in public.
"This is my room number," Cora whispers tapping some numbers into a blank note on the interface. "This is the door code.." She adds glancing up at him; she gives him a small smile that he returns. Scott lifts his arm making his own Omni light up; Cora waves hers over his sending the information to him.
"What about you?" Scott asks as he drops his eyes to check it has come through okay. When he sees that it has, he returns his attention to her. Cora sees a small flash of concern; surely he didn't think she would be dumping him now?
Cora places her hand on his cheek, kissing him gently that she sees reassures him and he smiles again. If you had told her how much she wanted to spend the night with someone other than Alec a few hours ago, she would never have believed it. Scott had charged headfirst into her life and she was okay with that. Maybe it wasn't such a crazy idea to let herself get lost in this handsome stranger.
"I'm going to get us another drink." Cora nods, she giggles when Scott opens his jumper up and lifts it, placing it on her shoulders and wrapping it around her body. Scott was claiming her all for himself. "Why don't you go and warm the bed?"
"Sure." Scott nods "Just don't be too long.." Scott gives her the most perfect smile she has ever seen. This man was dripping with lust and she couldn't wait to get back to him. "I want you out of that dress." He whispers, leaning towards her to give her a last kiss before turning and walking away from her.