When I'm with you

Posted on Saturday July 14th, 2012 @ 8:46pm by Lieutenant Antonio Vazquez "HOUDINI" & Lieutenant Lena Hartley

Mission: Fiesta!
Location: A holiday planet somewhere in the DQ.
Timeline: Current....

His hand running down over her bare shoulder, Antonio pressed his face against the nape of Lena's neck that was exposed and his lips made soft kisses against the skin. His breath hot on her neck, he whispered, "Buenos días, tigresa."

"Mmmmm..." Lena sighed happily as she stirred and turned to face him, her eyes fluttering open as she said "Good morning gorgeous." she whispered.

One half of his mouth went up into a smile as he breathed her in, "I think you're still dreaming." He wrapped one arm around her, snuggling closer.

"Then don't wake me up." Lena replied softly, "Because this is perfect." her own mouth began to form into a smile as she gazed at him her eyes full of adoration and love.

Taking in the way she was looking at him, he smiled back and gently caressed the side of her face. "We could...", his thumb brushed over her lips, and his eyes followed, "... stay here all day, but then how would we eat?"

"We'd find a way, but then you're also going to tell me that it would be a shame to miss all that wonderful scenery out there too aren't you?" Lena commented, her eyes twinkling with merriment.

Amusement in his own eyes, he sighed, "Yes...and you're right", and pulled away from her, grabbing her pillow from under her as he rolled onto his back, placing the pillow over his groin. Staring at the roof of their tent, he sighed again, "One of us has to be strong enough to pull away."

"Hey! That's my pillow!" Lena laughed as she made a grab for it, "And what exactly are you doing with it?" she asked playfully.

He gave her a look as if to say, "you know exactly what I am doing..." and reinforced his hold.

"It won't work you know." Lena leaned forwards and tried again to pull the pillow away, her smile widening as she teased "Are you sure that you're strong enough to resist?"

Sliding away from her, he kept his eyes on her hands, "Resist you, Lena? It's taking every bit of strength that I have." Sitting up, he threw the pillow at her, turning his back to her to reach for his briefs.

Lena wolf whistled him as he dressed, wondering how she had gotten so lucky as to have found such a sexy man whom she loved dearly. "So what's the plan today?" she asked as she stood up and stretched.

He quickly averted his eyes, once again turning away, "You're cruel, Lena." he chuckled. "I was thinking..." he continued, with her maneuvering around him picking up her clothes, her beautiful eyes surveying him, "Oh god, Lena..", and finding it a little hard to think, "...that I will cook us breakfast, and then we can...can go rock climbing."

"Something wrong lover?" Lena asked playfully as she began to dress, making it as provocative as she could to see if she could get even more reaction out of him.

He watched her for a moment before reaching out and pulling her into his arms. His lips brushed against hers, "How about I cook you brunch instead", he whispered, his eyes hazy with desire.

"Brunch would be good." Lena whispered, her body aching for him even though she knew that right now they needed to get on and get ready for the day.

"We could make this a quickie", he smiled against her lips, and then captured them, pulling her down with him...

"Quickie works for me." Lena sighed happily as she lowered herself down beside him, the clothes that they had only recently put on quickly discarded as they demonstrated their need for each other.

***** Later *****

"So what are we having for this brunch?" Lena asked as she exited the tent, pulling a purple t-shirt over her head as she walked, her desire for Antonio sated...for now.

Antonio looked up at her, having started a fire perfect for cooking. "Some fruit, and this planet's version of eggs and bacon", he smiled, having acquired the food from a small marketplace near where they had landed the shuttle. He lifted up a bright leaf from the board he had laid to one side, one to prepare the food on, "Smells similar to cilantro..and here..", he picked up a small bag, "a few other... ingredients. Well..", he chuckled, looking at it all, "I hope you're up for a little experimentation."


"Sounds great. And experimentation is a good thing." Lena smiled as she sat down, watching Antonio cook. Silent for a moment she said softly "I had a chat with Ta'mas before we left."

Antonio paused, stopped working, not looking at her, and then continued in silence for several moments before speaking. "I thought we were taking this time for us", he said quietly.

"We are." Lena replied, "But there's no good time to have this conversation is there?" she added softly, "And at least here I have your undivided attention."

"Not really", he said, looking up at her clearly annoyed, continuing pointedly, "I'm cooking our breakfast." He looked away again and poured the egg mixture into the pan, his mannerisms tense.

"I know you're cooking our breakfast." Lena said softly but persisted, knowing that this was a conversation that like it or not they needed to have. "So I can talk to you whilst you cook." she stated evenly, painfully aware of his body language.

He glanced up at her, clearly unhappy, "So talk."

"Ta'mas told me his version of what happened between you two." she said softly, "He told me how he met Aleysha." she added, bracing herself for a response.

His face darkened, and he took the pan off the fire, then placed his hands on his hips, a mannerism him and Ta'mas shared, "What's the point of this, Lena?"

"The point of this is to try and find out why you two are still at each other's throats after so long." Lena replied sharply, "And then to build a bridge." she stated more calmly.

Getting up and moving to his side she rested a hand lightly on his arm and said softly "Talk to me...tell me why Aleysha was unhappy enough that she went and picked up Ta'mas in a bar...."

Antonio stared down at her, seeing a side of her he wasn't use to. Needing to resist the urge to pull away, he admitted, "I don't really know, Lena. She was lonely. When I was around... She started accusing me of being controlling..." His mind went back into the past, "I don't want to do this."

"Does anyone ever want to face their demons?" Lena asked softly, her heart breaking as she watched him but knowing that she had to push him on this, she needed him to open up about what happened, needed him to see that the past had been the fault of the three of them because it was only when he could see that the old wounds could be mended that he could finally begin to move on.

He inhaled deeply, "I chased her away, Lena...I know this. I take responsibility for it." He ran a hand over his forehead, down the side of his face, to the back of his neck, "And she didn't just end up in the arms of another man, but in Ta'mas'..", his eyes teared up and he backed away, "... Ta'mas! Of all people.."

"He didn't know that she was your wife when they met...he knows that doesn't excuse it because he knew that she was a married woman but she made advances to him and because he was in pain and needed company he accepted." Lena replied, taking a step toward him again as he backed off. "He's regretted it every day since and he has no idea how to ever make amends. He would never have slept with her if he had known...he loves you too much for that." she continued. Reaching his side again she added "You and he go back such a long way...you're virtually brothers. Aleysha is out of both of your lives now...can't you both find a way to move past what's happened?" Lena watched him closely, his pain evident and it was agony for her to push this but something within her was telling her to push him, to make him see that he had to deal with what happened for his own sake.

One corner of his mouth lifted into a sarcastic smile. "Is this what he told you? That he didn't know who she was, that she made advances to him?" Placing his hands on his head, he walked away from her, trying his best to keep his control. "That manipulative son-of-a-bitch..."

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Lena asked softly.

Antonio turned back around and only stared at her for several long moments. She didn't know Ta'mas the way he did. As a kid, Ta'mas had made manipulation into an art form...

Finally he spoke to her; his eyes, the tone of his voice, betraying how upset he was, "The same night I couldn't give him what he wanted, he just happens to sleep with my wife. He's manipulative, Lena, intelligent, capable of more cunning than you can imagine."

Antonio's words left Lena doubting herself as she stuttered "I...uh...well...I mean...he never gave me that impression." She moved towards him a few steps and said "You loved him once though right? He was more or less your brother."

"Yeah", he nodded, now blinking away the tears that threatened to come, "Serving with him these past several months, I've wanted to believe that I've been wrong, that even with his ways, that it would not have been in him to be so spiteful. That.. whether I am or not, that he's changed..."

"Maybe he has?" Lena volunteered, her heart breaking as she watched him, wanting nothing more than to rush into his arms and kiss away his hurt.

"If they had of came to me after it happened...maybe I could of..." Antonio struggled to continued, "It's how I found out, I can't get past...", and he turned away, "I'm sorry Lena...I can't talk about this anymore. I need some time alone", and he started walking away, heading towards a path.

"Wait!" Lena called after him, "How did you find out?" she called to his retreating back.

Then he realized what he was doing, repeating past mistakes. He turned around and outstretched his arms, "He got her pregnant!"

Lena's legs felt like they were about to buckle underneath her as she took in his words and she blanched white. "He what?" she almost squeaked.

He nodded, running his hand over his mouth, and walking back to her. "We were going to have a baby, Lena. We were working on our marriage."

"She told you that the baby was yours?" Lena looked confused trying to process the information.

He shook his head and stopped, placing his hands in his pockets, "We had an appointment to discuss the baby's first prenatal physical...", and looked pained, as he struggled, "It was revealed... he had Vulcan genetics. The doctor wanted to discuss injections to ensure his survival. Aleysha...", and the tears broke free. "fell apart, and told me about her and Ta'mas..."

Lena put a hand to her mouth, shocked by what she was hearing. Not caring that he had opted to keep his distance from her, she ran to his side and hugged him tightly "I'm so sorry sweetheart...I had no idea."

Antonio immediately wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. "I couldn't cope. I rejected her. She..she lost the baby."

"Oh my love...that's horrible." Lena whispered as she hugged him tightly, "Did Ta'mas know?" she asked gently.

"I don't know", Antonio replied. He pulled away, and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand.

"What a mess." Lena sighed and regretfully let him go, wishing he wouldn't keep moving away from her when all she wanted to do was mother him.

"I'm sorry about breakfast", he said low, staring towards the now smoldering cooking fire, the pan with their breakfast now cold.

"I'm not hungry now anyway." Lena said softly, feeling sick to her stomach that the whole sorry situation between Antonio, Aleysha and Ta'mas had ever happened. But what was more, why was it that in this whole situation, she loathed Antonio's ex wife with a passion?

Antonio frowned, "I need to go for a walk", and held his hand out to her.

Grateful that he wasn't going to shut her out and walk off on his own, Lena managed a sad smile and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly as she looked up at him.

He leaned down and kissed her. "I love you", he whispered against her lips.

"I love you too." Lena whispered back unable to stop herself adding "Thank you...for trusting me enough to open up like that."

He stared back at her, searching her eyes, "Opening up...isn't easy. But trusting you...you're the best thing that's ever happen to me."

"I think that we were meant to find each other." Lena smiled up at him, "We're both damaged in our own way...but it's like with you..." she pulled away a little from him so that they could start walking side by side whilst keeping hold of one of his hands, "It's like I feel that I'm the person that I'm really supposed to be..." she laughed a little self consciously and added "I guess that doesn't make sense does it?"

"Makes perfect sense to me", he finally smiled, the love he felt for her showing deeply in his eyes. Breathing in deeply, his eyes once again took in the beautiful scenery surrounding them.

"Let's go for that walk."

Holding hands tightly, they headed off down the path together.


************

Lieutenant JG Lena Hartley
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Pegasus

Lieutenant Antonio Vazquez
Security/Alpha Shift Watch OIC
USS Pegasus