Riddles in the Dark

Posted on 06 Feb 2013 @ 11:45pm by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeroen Adlar & Commander Scarlet Blake

1,860 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 3 - Blake's Quarters
Timeline: MD 1: 18:30

ON:

Jeroen smiled gently as he finally came to Scarlet's quarters, ringing the chime. The meeting with Stone still clung to him. A coldness in his bones that made him feel so much older than he was. But...he had promised to visit, and he knew he couldn't let Lily down. Or Scarlet for that matter.

Scarlet opened the door with a wide smile, catching her breath. She was in her dressing gown though, her dark hair half pinned up and half escaping down her shoulders. "Jeroen! Come on in. I'm sorry, I just got out of the shower. Lily is having a nap, she was feeling a little under the weather, she'll be thrilled to see you here when she wakes up," she took his hand warmly, pulling him inside.

He smiled gently, just happy she was glad to see him. It helped. "I can come back tomorrow if you want?" he offered, lifting her hand to gently kiss.

She shook her head with a warm smile. "Don't be silly. It's fine, so long as you can deal with me in the rough," she searched his features, seeing the lack of warmth he usually had. "Everything okay?" she asked gently as she moved to get them a drink.

"Yes...yes, it is," he said and finally smiled properly, meeting her eyes. "Much better for seeing you, Scarlet."

Scarlet chuckled at that, shaking her head as she moved to sit with him, curling up as she offered a glass over. "You can't fool me, Jeroen. I probably know more about you than anyone."

He nodded as he watched her, smiling gently as he took the glass. "I had a run-in with the new Chief of Security."

"I take it that it wasn't a thrilling experience, judging by the look on your face," she laughed softly, tugging his sleeve gently.

Jeroen smiled weakly as he looked at her. "He ordered me to stop...my strolls. Of the ship. And made it quite clear what I am to him, and what happens to men like me who walk in dark places on the ship."

The smiled faded as she watched him with shock, her breath stuck in her throat for a long moment. "Are you saying he threatened you?"

"Yes," he said and met her eyes. "He denied it though...but when someone tells you that the Captain cannot make you safe and that anything can happen to people wandering alone in places where they have no friends...where no one would cry over your death..." he looked down, frowning. "I should expect it more. I mean, a lot of people feel like that about the Maquis. Traitors."

"Well if they feel that way about you, then they should feel that way about me too. I was there. With you," she frowned, shaking her head. "But it didn't mean I fought any less than the others when I was in the marines. Or I don't help Starfleet personnel now. Things change, Jeroen. People change. And in a war where there was no right or wrong, just a whole mess of grey, well, he without sin, as they say." She kissed his forehead softly, touching his cheek. "And I would cry if you died," she said quietly. "I did cry, when I thought you had died with the others."

He watched her with gentle eyes before hugging her tightly, taking a breath. "I know. I know, angel...I'm sorry," he said and stroked over her back. "I'd never get myself killed, you know that. And you know that if anyone tried, I'd defend myself at any cost. Got too much to live for. Got you."

Scarlet shook her head, kissing the back of his hand with a frown, anger starting to stir inside of her. "That's not the point, Jeroen. He had no right telling you that you where you could or couldn't walk. You're Starfleet personnel, like him, like any of us, and you have the same rights and privileges. It's not for one officer to decide to take the rules into his own hands and make them up as he goes along, not when you passed your training and were sent out by HQ" she shook her head firmly, holding his eyes. "And as for trying to intimidate you with thinly veiled threats, by the man who is supposed to protect this crew, it is despicable. "

Jeroen let out a breath, nodding weakly before kissing her forehead. "I won't be threatened. I will continue to go where I am allowed unless my Captain tells me otherwise. Because...even if it is sometimes an act, I need them to think I have put it all behind me. As if it can't touch me."

She nodded with understanding, letting out a long breath. "You served your time. You are Starfleet, like anyone else," she watched him with pain. "I'd do anything to take it all away from you. It doesn't seem fair."

"Scarlet..." Jeroen smiled gently and shook his head. "You and Lily take it away from me. I promise. You two make it...perfect."

She let out a long breath, nodding before looking down with a frown. "I wouldn't have got out of there if it wasn't for you," she said quietly, seriously. "A teenage girl living with Maquis. I wouldn't have made it through it if you hadn't of been there to look out for me. I mean it, Jeroen, I know you must see it as a mistake, but if you hadn't of been there, I'd have been - well, Lord only knows what would have happened."

He watched her, seeing the pain too easily. "Hey..." he frowned as he cupped her cheek. "You would have been fine. And I never see meeting you and helping you as a mistake. Never. It gets to be one of the best things I have ever done, Scarlet..." he searched her eyes with a warm smile.

Scarlet smiled warmly at that, brushing dark hair from his face. "I will not let anyone here threaten or touch you," she whispered. "But I know that you don't need that, because you can look after yourself."

He watched her with a small smile, taking a breath. "It is okay. I promise...I just needed to tell someone. You spotted something was wrong within seconds."

"Always can," Scarlet laughed softly, shaking her head with a soft smile, stroking up his arm. "But Jeroen, you can't keep this to yourself. You need to take this higher up. What he said, no matter how he tried to smooth it over afterward, it was a poorly veiled threat. The Chief of Security can't be allowed to intimidate the people he is supposed to protect. What if it's an Ensign next time, who doesn't have as much bite back as you? Tell the First Officer, or even the Captain. They'll decide if they think it's worth looking into further or not, but at least you'd have told someone. At least then it's on record, so if it happens to someone else, they're not alone." And she didn't want Jeroen at risk, but she didn't add that, knowing he would just say he could look after himself.

He smiled weakly, stroking over her hair. "I'll...consider it. If I somehow get to see the Captain, or the XO...I will tell them. Promise." She worried and he appreciated it. It made it more...as if he was not alone. "I might just need a day or two to gather courage."

"And let it sink in, and shake off the shock of it," she nodded with understanding, holding his hand fondly between both of hers. "And whatever you do, don't you dare stop walking the ship as you please."

Jeroen smiled gently, nodding as he watched her. "Never. You know me, I have to walk or else I go mad..."

"Good. People like us don't let other people intimidate them," she said firmly, holding his eyes with a fond smile. She knew she didn't even have to say it. He was the strongest man she knew.

He smiled warmly as he stroked over her hair, letting out a breath. "So...will you let me stay a bit with you two today?" he asked with hope. Nothing made him feel better than that.

"Let you? We'd love it," she assured with a warm smile, her hand trailing up over his knee. She turned her head when she heard shuffling.

A sleepy Lily moved in, dragon under her arm, but she smiled warmly when she saw Jeroen. "Uncle Jeroen!"

He smiled warmly, watching her with shining eyes, his hand covering Scarlet's. "My petal...how are you doing, sleepyhead?"

"I was dreaming - of dragons!" the young girl held her soft toy dragon above her head as if it was flying, smiling warmly as she ran to him and held her arms up to be lifted on to his lap.

He smiled warmly, picking her up and holding her close. "I love dragons..." he said and kissed her hair. "Were you a dragon in the dream?"

She shook head with a warm smile, settling comfortably against him, holding the dragon close. "No. I was flying with them," she turned a bright smile up to him. "Did you fly with dragons?"

Jeroen smiled gently, shaking his head. "Never had that honour," he said as he watched her with warmth before looking at Scarlet. "But I knew a Princess..."

"Really!" Lily watched him with wide, warm eyes, grinning as she curled up to him. "You must be a knight then."

Scarlet just laughed softly, looking away a little, a rare blush creeping up over her cheeks.

Jeroen grinned, stroking Lily's hair soothingly. "Mm...yes, a knight. And you are a lady...a mistress of the dragons, friend of many creatures...and you should never fear your own beauty."

Lily giggled softly, resting her head against his chest, hugging him warmly. "Stay for dinner? Please?"

"Of course he is," Scarlet smiled warmly, pushing herself up to stand, stretching out with a soft sigh. "So I had better get some kind of food together, or there won't be a dinner to stay for!"

He smiled warmly as he looked at them, his eyes gentle. "Why don't I cook?" he asked softly. "It'll be fun."

Scarlet watched him with surprise, shaking her head. "Let me get this right, you come here as a guest, and you end up cooking? Not at my place."

He smiled warmly, his eyes shining. "I come here as your friend...as Uncle Jeroen," he said softly, chuckling. "So really...I am no guest."

Scarlet laughed softly, shaking her head with warmth. "Unfair, I can't argue that," she watched with fondness, wondering for the millionth time where she would be in life if it hadn't been for him. "We'll help."

"We'll help!" Lily echoed, watching him with a wide eyed smile, and a gleam in her eye that forewarned of more mess than help.

OFF:

PO2 Jeroen Adlar
Science - Geoengineer
USS Galileo
(PNPC Aria Rice)

Lieutenant JG Scarlet Blake
Counsellor
USS Galileo

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