Precious Moments

Posted on Mon Feb 18th, 2019 @ 11:00pm by Senior Captain Connor McKinney M.D. PhD & Captain Madeline Sanchez
Edited on on Mon Feb 18th, 2019 @ 11:00pm

Mission: Ready For The Weekend!
Location: Connor's bedroom
Timeline: 2388/08/30 0700 (Sat. Aug. 30 2388 7:00am)

It was a moonlit night and he was walking barefoot along the beach. And he could feel a soft breeze and hear the water lapping against the shore. It was faint and soft, and he felt an unfamiliar peace.

Then a voice he knew shouted out his name and he turned. A man was walking out backwards into the water, his long dark hair and opened shirt flying out behind him and he said loudly, "I can do this a little longer, Connor."

He started walking out after the man, shouting, "Wait...Alex!"

As the screech of the alarm echoed through the quiet of Connor's bedroom, Maddie groaned and grabbed her pillow, dragging it over her head and grumbling "Make it stop."

Connor had startled awake and sat up breathing hard. He froze for a moment, staring at the armchair in the corner. "Alex..?!" he spoke out through labored breaths, and then closed his eyes, only to open them again a moment later to an empty chair. "Computer, alarm off!" he forced out, and laid back on the bed to stare at the ceiling.

His brother's name jerked Maddie awake and she sat upright, gazing at her lover. "Alex?" she frowned, "Did you hear some news overnight?" she asked as she reached out to stroke his cheek.

Connor's eyes moved to look back at her and with a slight shake of his head, he closed them again. The images returned and he felt a strong need to swallow. "I was dreaming," he answered quietly and his brow furrowed as he added, "I mean, I...think I was." He wasn't sure.

"What do you mean?" Maddie frowned, "You don't think it was something else do you? Like a premonition...what was it about?" she prompted him to talk.

"Maddie, I..." he started to reply and stopped as his thoughts shifted. Was it a dream or was it something else...? Looking uncertain, he pulled away from her and got out of bed. But then suddenly, a memory, an event from his childhood came to him and he turned to face her, his hand covering his mouth as he recalled another. And then, he felt he knew.

"Talk to me." Maddie looked up at him, able to see that he was troubled.

Connor nodded, and running his hand over his mouth and chin went over to her side of the bed and sat down on it's edge. "I want to." he whispered. Yet when he looked at her, he still found it difficult to do. "Just give me a moment, please."

"Of course." Maddie nodded, moving away slightly in an effort to give him some space.

"Maddie," Connor had leaned towards her, and placed his hand on the bed where she had been less than a moment before, "You don't have to do that," and he padded the area, wanting her next to him. "I could have sat on the other side of the bed."

"I just thought you needed some room to think." she commented as she moved back to his side and cuddled against him.

"I know," he nodded and admitted quietly, "I don't make it easy to know when I need it 'n' when I don't."

"Yeah...haven't quite worked it out yet have I?" Maddie replied, "But give me a year or two and I'll have it worked out perfectly." she smiled at him as she reached out to caress his cheek.

Connor leaned into her touch, his hand covering hers, "Maddie, I need you," he whispered. There was almost a desperation in his voice, and his eyes searched hers, "I wish I could make it easier for you."

"It's okay...I knew what I was getting into after all." Maddie covered his hand with her free one, "You warned me. And I don't care...I love you and if it isn't easy then so be it, it isn't going to scare me away."

"Right now I believe you, but tomorrow..." his brow furrowed as he shook his head, "I may doubt you, say the wrong things."

"Then I'll just have to remind you once again that I knew what I was getting into." she countered as she reached out to caress his beloved cheek.

He started to shake his head again, about to argue that she really didn't know what she was getting into, but stopped himself instead as the image of Alex came back to him. "You have to keep this between us."

"Of course." Maddie nodded, "Did you even need to ask?" she smiled warmly at him.

Unable to answer at first, Connor's eyes had shifted away. He turned away from her and ran a hand over his mouth before saying quietly, "I saw Alex," and found himself hesitating before adding, "I felt him. He's somewhere out there, alive. I know it sounds crazy, but...he told me..."

"And you don't think that it was just a dream?" Maddie asked, knowing that it might annoy him but she had to ask the question anyway.

He looked back over at her, unable to hide the little bit of doubt that was still there. He slightly shook his head, "No." And then he was off the bed, walking around and shaking his head more adamantly while pushing that doubt away. His voice raised, "It wasn't a dream 'n' it's not wishful thinking, nor am I in some sort of denial that he could possibly be dead!"

Turning back to face her, he lowered his voice as he repeated, "It wasn't a dream, Maddie. I'm tellin' you when we were kids there were a few times when we had this...this connection. But it was always one-sided...I guess..." he put his hand up towards his head, "due to how my brain works, but he would get hurt...'n' I would feel his pain." He paused as he continued to think about it. "It's crazy, it's been years, 'n' I've been missing pieces of my memory, of my life, but I just know Alex was trying to tell me he's alright."

Or is it wishful thinking? a part of him wondered.

"But nothing else?" Maddie prompted, "No clue as to where he might be?" she added, hoping that there was more to come.

Looking lost and feeling frustrated, he sat back down on the bed next to her, leaning forward to run his hands back partway over his head and keeping them there. "No," he answered her quietly.

"But does it mean that he's close by at least?" Maddie prompted, figuring that this kind of thing must work better the closer you were to a person.

"I don't know...maybe." He straightened himself back up and leaned towards her, placing his hand over hers, "I need to go back up to the starbase today, I need answers...will you come with me?"

"Of course." Maddie nodded, "I'll always be here for you Connor." she added, knowing beyond a doubt that it would be true. She knew that he had his problems but she loved him and she wasn't going to ever give up on him regardless how hard it would sometimes be.

"Thank you," he whispered, looking over her face, doing his best to soak in her every word. He stood, taking her with him, "Shower, breakfast,...we'll show the Tinsha's their new home, 'n' then head up there."

"Hmmm shower..." Maddie grinned wickedly, "How about I make you forget about everything for a few minutes?" she added, pulling him towards the bathroom, eager to cheer him up even if it was for only a few precious moments.

The way his mind was working, Connor doubted he could, but wanting to lose himself in her even if only for those few precious moments, allowed himself to be lead away.