round 3 (JP) LtCmdr Liam Frost & Cayden Adyr - Into the Unknown

[Liam Frost]

((Deck 4, USS Victory))

:: The walk from the turbolift to his quarters on the Victory was arguably the longest walk Liam had ever taken. There was so much that he wanted to tell her, and so much more that she deserved to know that he couldn't tell her. He wished that he could tell her everything, but he simply didn't know how.::

:: His mind wandered, filling with moments they had spent together. He remembered how they had walked together on the beach at Lake Armstrong with friends, most of whom had moved on to other places, their lives changed by forces much greater than themselves. He stood there for a long moment, knowing that his life was about to be changed by that same force. But it was that same force that had brought him here in the first place. Brought him to this place at this time. It brought him to her. He took a deep breath as he stepped through the door, knowing that whatever was in store for him, for them, he was going to have to face it.::

((Liam's Quarters, USS Victory))

::Cayden had taken care of checking out and getting the few things they had in the suite back to the ship. It hadn't taken long, and so she ended up sitting in his quarters listening to the soft tones of music that had been composed by the first of the Adyr hosts. Long before her joining she had fallen in love with the music, but now it had far more depth than ever before. In the stillness of the room the music grew soft and suddenly she felt as if something was coming. It was the scent of something on the winds of change.::

::And for a moment, she was worried. Lost in the gentle rise and fall of the sounds, Cayden felt as if she were floating on an ocean so endless that it stretched out all around her. The excitement of the unknown was there, but now there was a new fear. It was something that she had never felt before. It was…::

::The doors to the room slid open and instantly all of her concerns faded. No matter how much time they seemed to spend together, she never got tired of seeing his face come into the room. A smile appeared on her face and she moved towards him.::

Adyr: So, what happened?

::She hadn't thought it would be bad; but she had spent the better part of the past hour wondering what was going on behind the closed doors of the ready room. Her eyes went to his collar where she saw the extra pip and her smile grew. He had gotten a promotion! But something kept her from jumping into his arms just then in celebration. He smiled, but it wasn't his normal smile. No, there was something else there now. Uncertainty? Concern? Fear? She had no idea, but she moved towards him and took his hand in an attempt at reassurance.::

:: Her voice was upbeat, almost melodic, as it always was. It always had the uncanny ability to draw him out of whatever distraction might be weighing on him. Almost always, perhaps. He did his best to smile in order to hide his nervousness.::

Frost: Well for starters, it looks like I'm moving up in the world.

::She nodded but remained reserved despite her smile and refusal to appear worried. There was more that he had to say and he almost seemed to not want to say it. Taking his other hand she let a smirk appear on her face.::

Adyr: They give you your own ship already? I knew they wouldn't be able to resist talent like this.

::Squeezing his hands she let the attempt at a joke hang in the air for a moment but the same smile he had on his face moments ago remained. Now she knew something big was going on and she finally let her own smile fade into a more concerned look. Her hands grasped his a bit tighter as so many emotions and voices played on the outskirts of her mind.::

:: She always seemed to have an uncanny ability to make him smile, no matter what he felt. He did his best to hold it back, but what made her so good at making him smile also made her good at reading him. She saw through the smile and her expression changed from the excitement of seeing him to a look of worry.::

Adyr: What happened Liam?

:: He let out a long breath as he walked her over to the sofa and sat her down. He searched for the words to explain what he was feeling, but there was no elegant way to put it. No magical combination that would make them easy for him to say, or for her to hear.::

::Following him to the other side of the room she sat never taking her eyes off his face. She carefully studied the expression willing the news to be not quite as detrimental as his outward appearance made it seem. As each second passed, however, she grew increasingly worried. Still holding on to one of his hands, she realized that she was scared to let go.::

Frost: I got my new orders. They came directly from Starfleet Command. I've been ordered report to Utopia Planitia. Cayden... I've been reassigned.

::The look, his nervous smile, his worry…it all made sense now. It was a huge change. No, it was a monumental change. Though change was something she looked for, she understood that many others in the galaxy didn't quite hold the same outlook. For Cayden, however, change was the very best way to give the symbiont new experiences, and it held a special appeal to her. Change took her new places to experience new things.::

::And change had been the catalyst that had led her right into his arms.::

Adyr: That's wonderful. ::Her bright smile returned.:: Pretty fantastic if you ask me. You're going places, Commander Frost.

::Winking at him and emphasizing the word Commander, she let go of the worry for the moment and tried to drag him out of the depths that he seemed to have gotten himself into. This would be great for him, but as she put the pieces together in her head, she began to understand what his concern was.::

:: She was as supportive as ever, and he was grateful. In some ways it made things easier, and yet they made others much harder. And the strangest part was he couldn't tell which one of those he was in.::

Frost: It's a huge opportunity. Maybe. But that's not what I'm worried about. It's you... us.

:: And with that, it was out there. He couldn't take it back or pretend that nothing was happening. Nor could he pretend that he wasn't invested what they had together.::

::Leaning her head to the side, her smiled seemed to broaden. It wasn't the leaving part or the moment in time where there was the possibility where what he was going to say next would tear him from her forever. No, it was the fact that he had just defined what was, only a short time prior, undefined. With one word, she could feel hear heart soar. One word. Us.::

::The feeling was so overwhelming that all at once the butterflies returned and she felt slightly light in the head, which at the moment, served her well. It kept her from panicking in the moment where the words he said next could either take her higher or make her crash to the rocky ground below.::

Frost: I... want to ask you to come with me. But I can't just ask you to give up the life you've built just to follow me. I don't even know where I'm going.

::It was at this point her grin could get no bigger. Suddenly she realized what had been hanging in the balance just moments before, and with those moments gone and the statement out in the open, she could barely contain the excitement.::

:: Of all the reactions he had expected from her, an excited smile was one of the last. And yet it was exactly what he should have expected. Her ability to see the best of every situation, and her habit of reacting in unexpected ways was part of what drew him to her. Half a dozen lifetimes of experiences tempered her decisions, and fascinated him to no end.::

Adyr: That's the best part, love.

::She stood now and pulled him to his feet. How could she make him understand that she wasn't leaving her whole life behind so much as continuing the life she loved. Moving around, changing, going places; these were the things she lived for. And with him there by her side, it seemed to be her greatest desires and wishes answered. It was the chance at the perfect life, at least in her eyes.::

Frost: I... I don't understand.

::Perhaps it was the fact that she had the memories of a life in Starfleet floating around in her mind. Maybe it was that she somehow had been drawn to that life without actually realizing it. Whatever it was, she was perfect for that kind of situation. It fulfilled every whim she had too; to be on a ship, to be able to provide the random support to its officers and crew, and to have the one she adored...no…the one she had fallen for, right there with her.::

::For a moment she paused in her elation and thought about it. He had thrown the word `us' out there and now she realized that she was indeed falling and she was falling hard. It was unlike any other feeling in the entire universe and she couldn't get enough.::

:: It was the look in her eyes that finally made him understand what she meant. Even before she spoke, her eyes expressed more than her words ever could, or needed to. And for a while he once again found himself lost in their depth like he so often did.::

Adyr: ::Smirking again.:: Perhaps you should just ask me instead of wanting to ask me. You might be surprised at the answer you get.

::Now she looked at him expectantly as he put things together in his head. Slowly, the concern seemed to fade to a point.::

:: He struggled with himself for a long moment. Was she truly prepared to give up everything she had built for herself just to follow him? But her eyes held the answer. An answer that had been there all along, and for a moment he felt the fool for missing it. It was the way she looked at him, the way she looked at everything, that told him. Perhaps it was her, perhaps it was the lives she had lived before, that was drawn to explore. She was drawn to the unknown the same way she was drawn to him, and he was to her. In that way, they were more alike than he had ever truly realized.::

Frost: Cayden, I don't know exactly where I'm going, but will you share the journey with me?

::To his question, she only nodded very enthusiastically.::

Adyr: I would absolutely, positively, love to go with you, wherever that somewhere might be. No matter where that somewhere might end up.

::She could still see the concern in his eyes despite the smile she knew he was powerless to stop.::

:: An incredible weight was lifted from his shoulders in that moment. A weight that he had carried with him from the moment he had realized how hard he was falling for her. He still worried for her, for the life she may have given up for him. But he could see in her eyes, the way he always did, that her mind was made up, and that there was no force in the universe powerful enough to change it.

Frost: Are you sure?

::Cayden shook her head slightly. Perhaps it was the human nature against change coupled with his concern for her happiness, or at least that was what she assumed it was, but he still seemed concerned about her leaving her `life'. She could only smile and run her fingertips through his hair and eventually wrapping her arms around the back of his neck bringing her body ever closer to his. As she felt his arms encompass her, she brought her lips close to his ear and whispered.::

Adyr: I want this. More than anything.

::She left it up to him to figure out the multiple levels of what exactly `this' meant.::

:: He held her close, realizing now just how far he had fallen. There was no going back now. Wherever he was going now, he was going with her. And he couldn't imagine it any other way.::

Frost: Cayden... I love you.

:: Saying it for the first time made it real for the first time. A feeling crept into his stomach, a feeling like the one he had when he first leaned in and kissed her. It was like the who universe fell away, and all that was left for him was her.::

::She had never dreamed that three words would be able to have such an effect on her, but in that second, a moment torn from all of time's march, her mind, body, and heart soared as it had never done before. Still wrapped up in the embrace she leaned back just enough to look him in the eyes. In a somewhat trembling whisper that betrayed her normal calm and collected state and showed him the effect of the words, she could only respond by letting her own feelings flow.::

Adyr: And I love you.

::It was a fact that she now knew to be true.::

::With no other words that could be said, they simply gave in to the moment. As this chapter of their lives quickly drew to a close, the universe stood still for just one moment, fading into nothing as their lips met in a blaze of passion so bright that no star could compare. The kindling had been allowed to become a flame, and now it had grown into a blaze the likes of which neither had experienced before. In only a few hours they would disembark the Victory for the final time, leaving behind all the memories that had been planted there, but with the promise of new memories in the near future, it was a trip that they were ready to take together.::

::A lot was going to change, and even more would be coming at them in the soon, but for now, at least, the universe held its breath and allowed them time to simply get lost in each others arms.::

LtCmdr Liam Frost

&

PNPC Cayden Adyr

As simmed by

Commander Kali Nicholotti

Edited March 11, 2012 by FltAdml. Wolf
Adding Round 3 prefix.