XXXI.
Cora feels Scott's shoulder that she is currently sat dozing against move so she opens her eyes to look at him, watching as he lifts his hand to stretch out his fingers, and she knows he's been typing for too long into his datapad. She hears him sigh quietly when he rolls his head from side to side before settling back against the headboard again, letting her rest her cheek against his arm again and continue to try and nap happily at his side while he writes his speech. He'd been at it for most of the day, and the quiet sound of him beside her and his comforting presence had made her eyes begin to close because she felt so relaxed. She opens her eyes again when she feels Scott's hand brushing her hair back from her face and notices his eyes are on her, giving her a small smile when his eyes meet hers.
"You're so beautiful, Cora." Scott whispers and she feels him stroke her cheek gently, making her huff quietly and cuddle into his side again hearing her response makes him laugh. "I hope you aren't dribbling on me." He adds making her giggle quietly and open her eyes again to watch him, seeing him go back to his typing.
"I don't dribble." Cora giggles and slowly sits up beside him, wiping her tired eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm so tired." She whispers. "I'm never going to stay awake for tonight." She sighs and sees him nodding and then glancing at her, his beautiful blue eyes on hers.
"Have I been wearing you out?" Scott whispers with a grin before leaning towards her and drawing her towards him so he can press his mouth against hers. Cora sighs quietly when he strokes her cheek with his fingers as he leans back. "So beautiful." He whispers again when she feels his eyes on her, feeling her cheeks redden.
"It's usually the other way around." Cora giggles quietly as she leans closer so that she can press a kiss against his shoulder. "Stop being so sweet." She sighs and feels him cuddling her closer to him. "I am looking forward to hearing your speech, though." She adds seeing him shake his head.
"My speech would put anyone to sleep." Scott smiles at her and then turns his attention back to the data pad on his knee. "Especially as Tann won't let me talk about anything that's happened." He huffs quietly. "Including Habitat 7." Scott adds.
"Why does Tann not want you to talk about Habitat 7?" Cora sighs when she notices that Scott lifts his eyes from the data pad he is typing into, and onto her face when he hears her words. She sees him shrug lightly as he pauses. "It happened." She adds. "I'm sure people would appreciate the truth." Cora feels his eyes on her again.
"That's what I told him." Scott nods and goes back to his typing. "But he said people only need the good news, not the bad." He sighs and she watches him pausing again. "Man, I suck at writing speeches." Scott mumbles so Cora leans closer to him until their shoulders touch and lets her eyes lower to his pad.
"You're doing great, sweetheart." Cora gives him a smile when he glances at her and she sees him return it. "It's up to you to decide what you want these people to hear from you." She nods and hears him give her a positive humming noise.
"The truth." Scott mumbles and she notices his fingers aren't moving now. "They need to know what happened." He nods and glances at her again. "Things have gone wrong, and they should know that." He sighs. "It feels like my dad was just all about what he thought people wanted to hear." Scott adds and she notices he is waiting for her to say something, so she places her hand on his leg and leans into him.
"He was their poster boy." Cora nods and hears Scott sigh. "He believed so much in this and all he wanted was for other people to believe too." She adds and watches him nod in agreement. "Even if that meant withholding the truth." Cora sighs.
"Well, that's not me." Scott smiles and she does too. "I won't pretend it's all been smooth sailing, but I will make sure they know the things are heading in the right direction now." He nods and continues typing. "EOS was a win." Scott mimics Tann's voice and grins at her making her giggle.
"Please, don't do that again." Cora giggles. "EOS was crazy." She nods and she feels him lean closer and rest the side of his head against hers for a moment. "It was your first mission as the Pathfinder." She smiles. "I think you did great." She whispers and sees him smile at her words.
"I'm not so sure." He sighs at her side and lowers his eyes. She watches him lift his hand to rub the back of his neck. "Being the Pathfinder is hard." Scott whispers and she knows he is getting stressed about the party and having to give his speech. "I have no idea how my dad managed." Scott mumbles and she notices he scratches his knuckles against the hair on his chin.
"He stressed, just like this." Cora giggles and knocks her shoulder against his again to draw his attention back to her. "Scott, you are so good at voicing how you feel, and what you're thinking." She nods. "Just go with how you feel and what feels right." Cora smiles and sees him nod and lean closer to her, so she lifts her hand and strokes her fingers against his cheek briefly.
"Your right." Scott nods. "I guess there are worst things that being chewed out by Tann." Scott smiles and she feels his eyes meet hers. "Initiative parties for example." He sighs making her giggle when he continues typing.
"Why don't you take a break for a while?" Cora whispers and feels his eyes on her again. "You wanted to watch a movie." She adds and sees him nod. "I think you deserve it." Cora smiles and reaches for the datapad, plucking it from his hands and holding it up and away from him.
"The party is tonight, Cora." Scott laughs and she feels him trying to reach to take it back. "If I don't finish writing it.." He smiles. "I know it will be a disaster." He adds and she feels him lean into her to take hold of it, his body pressed against hers. "Give it back." He grins.
"Take a break." Cora whispers and hears him sigh. "We've got snacks and your favourite movie." She giggles. "Come on, just a short time without thinking about tonight." She smiles when she sees him close to giving in.
"Just a few more minutes writing." He chuckles and she notices he tries to take hold of the pad again. "Hand it over." He grins and she feels his hand wrap around her wrist and then when she looks into his face she realises how close they are.
"Make me." Cora giggles as she sees his grin, and then gasps lightly when he presses his mouth against hers in a hard kiss. She feels him taking it from her and lowering it to the bed and then lift his hand to her cheek, making her sigh when he deepens their kiss.
"That was very nice." Scott grins as he breaks their kiss. "Thank you for giving it back." He smiles as she watches him lift the data pad back to his lap as he settles back against the headboard beside her.
"More dirty tactics, Ryder." Cora whispers and sees him grin at her.
"I just really wanted to kiss you." He smiles at her and she watches him lower the pad to the bed. "Fine, I'll take a break if it will make you happy." He whispers and she notices he bites his bottom lip. She knew he'd been worrying about the party for days and he deserved some downtime.
"Yes, it will make me very happy." Cora smiles and shuffles her body towards the edge of the bed, letting her feet come into contact with the floor as she stands. "Do you want anything to drink?" She asks as she walks towards Scott's desk where she stops in front of his mini-fridge.
"Sure." Scott replies as she glances at him, noticing that he is getting comfortable on the bed and leaning back against the headboard. Cora turns her attention back to his fridge and selects two juice. "Don't forget the snacks." She hears the grin in his voice.
"I know, I know." Cora whispers and looks at him again when she feels his eyes on her, knowing he is watching her. "Why don't you take a picture and stop staring at me?" She smiles at him and notices her lowers his eyes but is smiling.
Cora picks up the box of cookies and packet of sweets from on top of his desk, tucking them under her arms as she picks up the bottles of juice and heads back towards him. She notices his eyes are on her again when she places them all down on the bedside table, but he then begins selecting the movie on his Omni and directing it into the space at the end of the bed with a flick of his fingers.
"I love this movie." Scott grins and she feels his eyes meet hers when she kneels on the bed and carefully crawls over his legs until she is close to him, feeling him holding his arm out to her so he can wrap it around her.
"I know." Cora giggles as she relaxes against his chest, letting him rest his arm lightly around her shoulders. "And you pick it so often." She whispers as she feels him leaning his head against hers as he cuddles her closer to him, so she strokes her hand against his forearm that is around her.
"Do you know why I always pick it?" Scott chuckles and she can feel his chest move beneath her, so she shakes her head. "I've seen it so many times I can just concentrate on how good this feels." He whispers against her hair making her smile when she rests his head against her.
"This does feel good." Cora sighs when she feels Scott dip his head to kiss her cheek. "Since when did you need a reason to cuddle up with me?" She giggles and strokes her palm down his arm until she reaches his hand, sliding her fingers through his.
"I guess I don't." Scott smiles as Cora lifts her hand to stroke his cheek. "Remind me why we can't go to the party together?" She hears him sigh and presses another kiss against her. "I really want us to go together." He nods and she feels him tuck his finger beneath her chin and direct her face to his.
"I want us to go together, too." Cora sighs "But I'm your second and it wouldn't be professional. We're not together, and you're my Pathfinder now." Cora whispers and sees him huff which makes her smile. "Plus, you agreed to go with Louisa" She sighs making him stroke her hair. "So you can't really let her down." Cora nods.
"Only because I didn't realise what she was asking." Scott chuckles. "She asked who I was taking, and then it ended up being her." He sighs so she giggles. "I'm sure she'd understand." Scott nods.
"I think she still likes you." Cora whispers and notices Scott frowns.
"I don't think so." Scott laughs and she feels him squeezing her hand. "She's just being friendly." He nods making Cora sigh dramatically at him and rest her head against his. "What?" He smiles.
"She's being very friendly." Cora giggles when she sees him smile, so she places her hand on his thigh and squeezes him gently. "You are so oblivious to how much people want you, Scott." She whispers. "Don't you think she's been around more since we split up?" Cora asks and notices he looks like he's thinking about it.
"Well, she is Sara's friend.." Scott begins making Cora giggle.
"I think she's more interested in being yours." Cora grins and hears Scott laugh and shake his head. "With benefits." She giggles and hears him sigh and kiss her cheek softly. "Just remind her that I'm perfectly capable of filling that role." Cora smiles at him.
"I'll be sure to tell her." Scott grins. "Anyway, I don't care if she does like me. How much you want me is all I care about." Scott whispers making her sigh when he presses a kiss against her mouth.
"You know how much I want you." She sighs and feels Scott's eyes meet hers and feels him squeezing her hand twice. "I guess if I can't have you as my date, I can be there for you during your speech." She nods and sees he does too. "I'll make sure I'm close by in case you forget and need someone to remind you." Cora giggles hearing him snort.
"So kind of you.." Scott chuckles. "The problem is, they think this is all me." He smiles. "But we all know you're the one that holds this whole thing together." She sees him grin and notices he takes hold of his data pad. "You are the one making the difference." He nods and she feels his eyes on her.
"Thank you, Scott." Cora whispers, feeling happy and overwhelmed by his words. "You are so sweet.." She sighs and leans towards him, slipping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. "We're making a difference together." She nods and feels him wrapping his arms around her.
"Yes, we are." Scott whispers as he strokes her hair. "I promise when things have settled down, we'll get to spend some time together like we did on Theia." He adds making her sigh. "We can be together again in public." Scott sighs.
"Are you sure it isn't too soon?" Cora sighs and tightens her hold on him. "I don't deserve to have everything back as it was." She whispers and hears his sigh. "I know you want to just forget about it.." She sighs.
"Then let me forget about it." Scott sighs. "I don't want us to have to hide in here or your room every time we want to spend time together." He grins and she knows he's trying to reassure her. "We were a proper couple and it felt good." He adds and she nods.
"It did feel good." Cora nods. "I just think we should give it more time.." She smiles lightly. "People know that I was with Alec, now." She whispers and lowers her eyes from his. "I don't want anyone's opinion of you to change because you're with me. They aren't going to understand.." She sighs and sees him shake his head when she raises her eyes again. "You have to be completely sure before we are public again."
"I am sure." Scott smiles and squeezes her tighter. "We know we're just delaying the inevitable." He whispers making her giggle. "Two colliding stars remember?" He smiles and she feels him loosen his hold on her and his eyes on her face. "I've already forgiven you. I don't want to think about it anymore." He nods and she feels him brush his thumb against her cheek. "I don't care what people say about me and you shouldn't either." He gives her a small smile which she returns.
"I know, and I'll try." Cora sighs and smiles at him. "It would be nice to spend time together again, outside of these walls." She smiles. "You just need to be prepared for people thinking the worst of us. They will jump to all of the wrong conclusions." She whispers.
"Don't worry about that." Scott smiles and she feels his hand on her cheek again. "We'll face that if it happens." He nods. "All that matters to me is how we feel about each other, and I'm not going to let Alec ruin this for us." He smiles making her sigh lightly.
"You're right." Cora smiles and rests her forehead against his. "I won't let him either." She adds and sees him smile at her words. "Have you decided what you are going to wear tonight?" She asks and notices he shrugs lightly.
"A t-shirt?" Scott grins making her sigh and lift her head from his and shake her head at him. "Jeans?" He adds making her roll her eyes at him.
"I'm glad to hear you've put so much thought into this." Cora giggles and sees his smile. "You'll probably need to wear a shirt." She smiles. "A tie too." Cora nods and hears Scott huff quietly.
"A tie, really?" Scott huffs again so she lifts her hands to his shoulders and squeezes him beneath her palms.
"You looked gorgeous last time." Cora smiles when she feels him wrapping her up in his arms again. "You could always wear a black shirt and trousers." She nods hearing him making a positive noise. "It shows off all my favourite parts of you." She whispers.
"That sounds like a good reason to wear them." Scott chuckles. "How about you?" He asks and she feels his hold on her loosen, and his eyes meet hers. "Do you have something extra special in mind?" He smiles.
"I'll find something." Cora nods, knowing exactly what she plans to wear and hoping it will keep Scott's eyes on her all night when he sees it. "Did you want to read through what you have so far?" She smiles.
"You don't want to hear it." Scott chuckles but she shakes her head and unwraps her arms from around him. "Are you sure?" He whispers.
"Of course I do." Cora giggles. "Get up there and do your thing." She adds and motions with her head towards the end of the bed. "Then you'll know if anything is missing or you want to change." She nods and feels him shuffling off of the bed and taking his datapad with him.
"Okay." Scott nods as she watches him climb to his feet and move to the space in front of us. "Right.." He huffs quietly and she notices he glances down at his datapad. "Should I start at the beginning do you think?" He sighs and she notices his eyes meet hers.
"A good place to start." Cora smiles, giving him a reassuring nod. "Wooo you go, Pathfinder Ryder!" She cheers, clapping her hands until she sure she sees a blush on his cheeks when he hears her cheering him on.
"Cora, no heckling allowed." Scott sighs but she sees him smiling. "Okay, so.." He whispers with a final nod and she then watches him compose himself and stand straighter, his eyes fixed on her. "We were promised adventure.." Scott begins and then she hears notices that he pauses.
"Is that the end?" Cora asks with a smile and wonders why he's gone quiet.
"No." She sees Scott laugh lightly and shake his head. "But, your right." He adds and she feels his eyes meet hers. "I've spent way too long on this today." Scott nods again. "Let's take a break." She sees the smile tug at the corner of his mouth.
"Scott!" Cora screams and then starts laughing when he jumps back onto the bed and starts bouncing on it making her body lift from the mattress. "What are you doing?" She giggles when he lowers himself to the bed and covers her with his body.
"Not thinking about tonight." Scott smiles as he pins her to the bed and dips his head so he can kiss her.
—/—
Cora glances around her when she steps out of the tram and into the station, immediately noticing how many people also exit with her and are also heading to the party. She can see that they are all dressed in their finest clothes, and are looking very excited. She can't help but wonder if they'd ever been to an AI party before, thinking if they had they might not be so pleased that they were attending one tonight. But she had to remind herself, as bad as the parties had so far been, she had met Scott that first night and that would always be a good thing. Cora decides to follow the other members that seem to know where they are going. She lets herself fall behind them, hearing her heels clipping against the floor as she does, but noticing that they soon start to get drowned out the closer she gets to the party. She smooths her hands down her dress for a moment, hoping she looks okay and knowing she had decided on making more of an impact tonight in her very short and figure-hugging blue dress. Part of her wanted to find Scott, and show him he should spend his night looking at her and not Louisa.
As she enters the room, she can't help but notice that the lights have been lowered and that spotlights have been set up around the ceiling and coloured lights by a dance floor that has been laid on top of the carpet. She notices that a bar has been built, up some stairs and on a platform away from the rest of the party, and finally a podium that she guesses is for Scott to stand on during his speech. Cora smiles to herself when she thinks of him, and wonders where he is and knows how nervous he must feel.
They'd spent the entire day together while he'd been writing and practising his speech; they'd very reluctantly said goodbye when he had to go and get dressed for the party, but now while she was waiting to see him, she was feeling very happy with how their relationship was going. She lets her eyes slowly take in the groups of people present, not as many as the previous parties but still a large number of the Andromeda Initiative paid members and those hard workers like her and Scott. She spots her fellow Pathfinder Team members, and others that she recognises as Nexus and Hyperion staff, and finally to the leaders that are all stood together.
As Cora walks past a small group of members to find somewhere to stand, she notices that they are talking loudly and appear to be geeing each other up and their voices and conversation doesn't sound like they are very happy. She glances at them and notices that they aren't dressed for the occasion either, all of them in their casual or own clothes.
"Cora.." She hears a voice behind her, and a hand touch her elbow so she glances over her shoulder and can't help but smile when she sees him.
"Raymond." Cora smiles and accepts his embrace, feeling him squeezing her tightly for a moment before he lets her go. "I didn't know you would be here this evening." She smiles again. "How are you feeling?" She asks and sees him nod.
"A little more myself." Raymond gives her a light smile, and she knows he is still struggling with the news that she and Scott had shared with him after he'd been brought out of cryo. His brother was dead, and his niece was still in stasis. "I thought I'd give Scott some moral support." He adds and she smiles, lifting her hand to his shoulder.
"He'll be glad to see you." Cora nods and notices that his attention is drawn to the angry members too. "Although, I haven't seen him this evening." She adds and glances around her, wondering where he is and hoping she'd see him soon.
"You don't mind if I watch with you?" Raymond begins and she shakes her head and smiles, realising that he's lost not only a brother but friend too in Alec. "I promise I won't bore you with war stories." He smiles so she does too.
"You could never bore me." Cora smiles and watches as a waiter walks past them so Raymond takes two glasses from his tray and hands one to her. "Thank you." She nods and can feel how cold it is between her fingers. "I would love the company." She adds and lifts the glass to her lips and takes a small sip.
"Cora.." Raymond begins, drawing her attention away from the podium and back to him. "I didn't want to say it in front of Scott.." He adds. "I'm so very sorry about Alec." He sighs as his eyes meet hers. "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you." Cora feels him lift his hand and rest it on her back for a moment.
"It's been very difficult." Cora gives him a weak smile and lowers her eyes. "I still feel so lost without him." She adds and when she looks at Raymond she notices he nods. "But you knew him longer than me, and he was your brother.." Cora sighs. "So I'm very sorry for your loss, Raymond." She adds. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him." She whispers and takes a large mouthful of her drink.
"Scott told me what happened on Habitat 7." Raymond nods. "You did everything you could." He sighs. "Alec made that choice. He knew exactly what he was doing." He smiles at her trying to reassure her. "He knew he could save Scott." He adds making her glance at him.
"I know.." Cora nods and gives him a small smile. "I will always be grateful to Alec for saving Scott." She smiles again and glances at the podium. "It was just such an awful price to pay." Cora sighs. "I just miss him." She nods and hears Raymond chuckle quietly.
"I miss him, too." Raymond nods and she sees him give her an understanding smile. "I'm grateful he did the right thing by Scott for once." He adds and Cora nods in agreement, feeling her skin prickle at his words when she remembers how little Alec had cared about Scott's feelings when she'd been unfaithful.
"Not always high on his list of priorities," Cora whispers and sees Raymond huff quietly and nod, so Cora lifts her glass to take a drink again, feeling the bubbles and alcohol going to her head.
"Definitely not." Raymond sighs. "I was surprised to wake up to find everyone knew about you and Alec." He nods and she feels his eyes on her. "You know it wasn't me." He smiles at her making her laugh lightly.
"I think you were asleep." Cora smiles. "Yes, unfortunately, mine and Scott's private life is the hot topic at the moment." She whispers and notices Raymond gives her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure you heard it all." She lowers her eyes from him for a moment. "It's Scott I feel bad for." She adds and sees him nod lightly.
"He always bounces back." Raymond smiles and she watches him take a sip from his glass. "He doesn't let things keep him down for long." He nods and Cora can't help but nod in agreement.
"He's a brand new Pathfinder, caught up in some kind of scandal." She sighs and hears Raymond chuckle. "He doesn't deserve that." She whispers and shakes her head, taking another sip to push away the thoughts of the horrible names people have been calling her and Scott now that everyone has decided she'd cheated on Alec with his son.
"Speaking of our new Pathfinder.." Raymond begins and she notices he motions his head towards the podium, and Cora can hear that the crowd start to talk between themselves and the noise in the room increases.
Cora glances up and over the heads of those in front of the podium and she spots that Scott is now stood on it at the side, looking like he is waiting to be told to go and give his speech. She notices he looks nervous and is fiddling with the cuffs on his shirt, his black shirt that she'd suggested he might wear with a black tie and his black trousers to match. Cora can't help but smile to herself when she sees he's taken her advice and that he looks very smart and even more handsome, and has even attempted to flatten his hair.
"He looks nervous." Cora whispers to Raymond, noticing that Scott begins scanning the crowd and she wonders if he is looking for her, and wishes she could be stood at his side instead of in the audience. "You can do it, Scott." Cora mumbles to herself, seeing him taking a deep breath.
"He has big shoes to fill." Raymond whispers back to her, making her nod in agreement. Everyone knew Alec Ryder, a lot of the people in this room had joined up because he was the Pathfinder, and now he was gone. "Is that Louisa? Sara's friend?" Raymond adds and she notices his eyes are on the podium.
Cora lets her eyes move back to the podium, noticing that Scott is still stood to the side and is waiting, but now has his hands in his pockets and Louisa has joined him. Cora feels her stomach knot when she watches her placing her hands on Scott's chest and leaning towards him, looking to be whispering something to him and being very over the top about it. Cora sighs and lowers her eyes.
"Yes, it is." Cora sighs and she knows she doesn't manage to keep the upset from her voice. "She is Scott's date." She adds, lifting her glass to her lips to try and remove the lump from her throat and bad taste when she glances back at the podium. "A lot has changed since the Milky Way." Cora sighs.
"So I see.." Raymond begins and she feels his eyes on her. "Why does he need a date other than you?" He asks and she sees him give her a sympathetic smile to try and make her smile, she laughs quietly when she hears it, remembering he had asked her the same thing this afternoon.
"It's not professional for the Pathfinder to be seen with his second." Cora sighs and she hears Raymond laugh quietly at her words and give her a comforting squeeze on her shoulder. "Plus, we broke up." Cora nods and looks into Raymond's face. "We want to be together again though." She gives him a weak smile.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that.." Raymond nods. "But glad to hear you two are working on it." He smiles. "I like you two together." Raymond smiles again. "I'm sure he misses you." He sighs.
"He does.." Cora smiles. "So he tells me every day. I miss him too." She adds, smiling to herself when she remembers the days and nights they've spent together that no one could take from her. "But I'm sure you don't want to hear me going on about Scott." Cora laughs quietly.
"Cora, the first time I ever met you.." Raymond begins and she notices he smiles. "You told me, a stranger, that you liked Scott." He adds making her smile when she remembers it. "It was nice to see you both so happy on Theia." He nods. "I'm sure you'll get to have that again." He smiles.
Cora hears a loud round of applause, making her turn her attention away from Raymond and back towards the podium when she watches Scott walk from the sides towards the centre of the platform, and is stood behind the podium with all eyes on him. She notices he takes hold of it beneath his hands, and lowers his eyes for a moment and is sure she can see him taking another deep breath. Cora smiles to herself when he lifts his head, and his eyes meet the crowd in front of him and she can tell he's ready. She watches him scanning the audience again, so she does something she knows she really shouldn't and raises her arm slightly to wave at him, seeing his eyes settle on her and that he smiles when he knows where she is. Cora's attention is drawn away from Scott when she notices the underdressed recruits move forward, standing in front of her and their eyes are fixed on him, making the skin at the back of her neck prickle when she suddenly doesn't feel right about them being there.
"Thank you for being here tonight.." Scott begins and Cora notices that the rest of the crowd are quiet, but that the recruits near her jostle each other and are whispering. "My name is Scott Ryder, and I am the Andromeda Initiative's Human Pathfinder." Scott continues and she watches him try to smile, but that he looks nervous. "I know I am not who you were expecting," Scott adds and she hears him clearing his throat and trying to keep his voice even. "We were promised.." Scott starts but Cora hears him stop when he's interrupted.
"Where's Alec Ryder?!" Cora hears one of the recruits shout, interrupting Scott mid-sentence making her frown and glance at them. She notices that the crowd begin whispering between themselves and looking over their shoulders at the rowdy recruits.
"I was going to get to that part.." Scott mumbles and she looks back at him and notices he looks like he's been thrown off by the recruit. "Unfortunately, as some of you may already know.." Scott continues and she can hear the recruits jeering. "We lost our Pathfinder, my father, Alec Ryder." Scott mumbles and Cora watches him lower his eyes for a moment. "On Habitat 7. There was an unfortunate accident, and because of this he made me his successor." Scott adds and Cora notices that Raymond glares at the recruits when they begin heckling Scott again.
"Where is Sara Ryder?!" Another recruit shouts, getting a round of loud laughter from his friends. "Where are our families, Pathfinder?!" He shouts, making Cora notice that Scott shrinks in place. "Why are they still in cryo?!" His friend shouts, making the audience begin chatting between themselves.
"If you would just listen.." Scott begins, trying to draw everyone back to him and get the situation under control. "Although Habitat 7 didn't work out as planned, myself and my team have made great steps towards.." Scott adds and Cora feels his eyes on her, trying to find some strength to carry on from her. She gives him a small smile, wishing she could run up there and support him.
"Is it true you killed Alec Ryder to become Pathfinder?!" One of the recruits shouts, louder than everyone else in the room and Cora notices that Scott looks bothered by his words and their interruptions.
"Quiet!" Scott huffs and raises his voice, but Cora notices it makes them worse and they start shouting abuse at him even more. "Of course I didn't." Scott huffs and she sees he looks overwhelmed. "If you have nothing to add to this.." Scott continues and she notices he sighs. "I think you should leave." He adds. "I understand your frustrations. I'm trying to help everyone." He mumbles.
"You've helped no one but yourself!" A recruit shouts.
"I'm trying my best.." Scott continues and Cora watches him shaking his head lightly and then step away from the podium, making her heart ache when she can see how upset he is from their words. She notices their shouting only becomes louder when they see him retreating, thinking they've beaten him.
"Is it true you and your father were both fucking Cora Harper?!" He shouts and she feels all the colour drain from her face when she hears it, glancing at them and seeing the man has his eyes fixed on her and is waiting for her reaction.
"Show some respect." Cora begins, raising her voice to be heard by them and noticing that the whole group look at her. "This isn't the time or the place." She adds and hears them jeering again.
"The Pathfinder needs to keep his slut under control.." The first recruit shouts in her direction, making her sigh and lower her eyes to the ground knowing that she shouldn't let his words hurt her but they do.
"Scott, don't do anything stupid!" Cora hears Raymond shouting from beside her, making her attention turn back to the podium when she hears his words, realising that Scott is no longer on the podium.
She watches him weaving between the crowd, heading towards the recruits at speed and she can see how angry he looks. Cora feels the breath catch in her throat when she sees Scott running and driving his shoulder into the recruits stomach, knocking him off of his feet and onto the floor. She hears the shouts of the audience but suddenly all she can hear is the sound of Scott's fist coming into contact with the recruits face over and over again, the sound of his knuckles breaking the skin and bloodying his nose.
"Fuck you!" Scott shouts as she watches him punch him again, but then noticing his friends begin grabbing Scott and trying to drag him off of their friend who is bleeding on the floor. "Get the fuck off of me!" He yells and Cora watches him struggling as the recruits overpower him and begin hitting him back. "Don't talk about her like that!" Scott shouts as she quickly rushes to them, grabbing hold of them and trying to pull them away from him.
"Stop!" Cora shouts, hearing others approaching and trying to help break up the fight and suddenly remembering the last time Scott was angry was with Alec. "Leave him alone!" She yells, trying to pull them away and having no luck. "Do you want to get us all kicked out?!" She shouts. "Do you want them to not bring your families out?!" She screams at them, noticing the leaders are watching on and finally security arrive and pull them all apart.
"This is bullshit!" One of the recruits shouts at her and points angrily at Scott who is trying to get back onto his feet and wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand. "This isn't what we were promised." He huffs and she can tell he's trying to intimidate her by squaring up to her.
"So you all attack your Pathfinder?" Cora huffs back at him, glancing down at their friend and noticing how much his face is bleeding from Scott's fists. "Real smart." She glares at him. "All he's done is try to make this right for everyone." She sighs angrily.
"He hit him first. He started this." Another recruit huffs. "We won't forget this, Pathfinder." He growls and points at Scott as Cora watches them help their friend up off the floor and carry him away and out of the party, closely followed by some security guards.
Cora glances at the audience, noticing that all eyes are on them and that they've seen everything, and are now watching their Pathfinder nursing sore hands and a bleeding lip. Another Pathfinder Ryder losing it at a party. She notices that they look worried, and some of them scared. She looks at Scott, feeling his eyes on her and can see that he looks ashamed.
"Go back to the party.." Cora raises her voice, hoping people will take her advice and go back to dancing and drinking, and hopefully forget about what they've just seen for tonight.
"I'm going to go and get him a drink," Raymond whispers as he stands at her shoulder making her nod and glances at Scott again, she can see his hands are shaking and that he is as white as a sheet. She watches Raymond walking towards the bar.
"Cora.." Scott whispers and she feels his eyes meet hers.
"Are you okay?" Cora sighs and can see he was expecting her to be upset with him, and part of her was, but she was also worried about him much more than that. "Oh, Scott." She whispers as she approaches him and lifts her hand to his face, feeling her stomach tense when she sees him looking so hurt.
"I'm sorry." Scott sighs and she watches him wipe the blood from his lip on the back of his hand again. "Fuck.." He huffs quietly. "Tann is going to kick me out." He whispers at Cora, making her glance over at the leaders who are huddled together and watching them.
"Shhh.." Cora whispers and lifts her hand to his hair. "Don't say that. It's going to be okay." She adds and notices they aren't going to be alone anymore, so she lowers her hands when she sees Louisa rushing to him.
"Scott, come with me." Louisa begins and Cora notices she moves in front of him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and glancing down at his hands. "We need to make sure you haven't broken anything." She sighs and Scott glances at her. "Oh, and you're lip too handsome." Louisa nods and Cora watches her take hold of Scott and walk him away from her.
Cora notices that Scott looks over his shoulder for her but she can tell he is too dazed to do anything but be taken from her by Louisa, and she knows she should be strong enough to not let her. Cora sighs quietly and lowers her eyes to her feet as she starts to feel the shake in her own body as the adrenaline begins to leave and her biotics cool, and it's then that it plays out in her mind again and she remembers how hurt her love looked and it was her fault he was. She glances up when she feels someone at her side and sees Raymond has returned.
"Where is he?" He asks as Cora feels his eyes on her. "Cora, are you alright?" Raymond adds and she can tell he's noticed and she must look as pale as she feels.
"No." Cora sighs and shakes her head slightly. "Scott was bleeding." She mumbles and she feels Raymond lift his hand to her shoulder. "He went with Louisa." She adds and notices that he holds out the glass to her. "No, thank you." Cora sighs quietly and sees concern on Raymond's face as he looks around for Scott.
"Take this to him." Raymond begins and she sees him give her a reassuring smile. "Just take it steady." He adds making her nod and take hold of the glass in her hand. "Make sure he's okay." He smiles at her.
"I will." Cora nods positively, making the decision right then that she was going to make sure Scott was okay and take him back from Louisa and take him home with her. "Thank you, Raymond." Cora whispers and notices he nods as she steps away from him.
Cora holds the glass in both hands as she walks and tries to keep her legs steady as she does, wishing that she'd never come to another of their parties and that she could just find Scott and they could leave. She could clean his wounds and he'd feel better after a good nights sleep with her. Cora is sure she'd seen Louisa guiding Scott in the direction of the bar, so she walks across the dance floor and to the stairs that she knows lead to the deck where the bar is located. When she reaches the top she lets her eyes move over the tables that are full of Initiative members all talking and drinking together.
"Here.." Cora hears Louisa's voice and realises that she's almost walked straight past them and that Scott is sat on a table with his back to her and Louisa is in front of him pressing a cloth against his face. "Does that feel better?" Louisa continues and Cora notices that she strokes his hair.
"I guess." Cora hears Scott sigh so she approaches the table and notices that Louisa spots her and that her eyes meet Cora's for a moment before she leans towards Scott and draws him into a kiss.
"Scott.." Cora begins, feeling the stab of jealousy and the ache in her heart when she sees Louisa kissing him and then hurt when he doesn't immediately pull away from her.
"Cora." She hears Scott sound surprised as he glances over his shoulder at her and she feels his eyes on her. "Are you alright?" He whispers making her shake her head at him.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Cora whispers, feeling her heart breaking and knowing she can't watch anymore. She quickly turns away from Scott and Louisa, walking as fast as she can away from them.
"Cora, wait!" She hears Scott calling after her but she carries on walking.
Cora closes her eyes tightly as she leaves the party, wishing she'd been brave enough to be his date tonight even if people would talk about them. Wishing she'd been brave enough to have been on that podium with him, even if they heckled her too. Wishing she'd been brave enough to comfort him, to love him as he wanted her too. Brave enough to tell Louisa to stay away from her Scott.