My Bed or Yours? Part 3

Posted on 26 Mar 2016 @ 2:20am by Ensign Aidan Crehan & Senior Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin

4,339 words; about a 22 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: New Risa
Timeline: MD 4

It had been a good meal full of good conversation. It was early evening and Aidan was looking forward to a song and a walk on the beach. He opened the door and stepped back to allow Mila in first. “After you, Mila,” he said.

"Why thank you, Aidan," Mila said as she went in and was immediately greeted by Chow who hopped up on her shoulder and chattered excitedly. "It is good to see you, too, Chow. Would you like to come on a walk with us later?" The little Capuchin eagerly nodded his head and looked at Aidan and motioned a 'come on' gesture at him.

Aidan smiled. “Yes, I’ll be going along with you two. But we need to change first. This isn’t entirely walking wear,” he said to Chow. Then he looked at Mila. “Unless he’s trying to show me something. Is that it? Does he want me to follow him right now?” he asked her.

"He's inviting you to come, too," she said with a laugh. "Did you want to hear the song before we change?"

“Oh, okay,” he said. “I hope to learn more about his gestures and meanings and be able to communicate better with him. But, yes, I want to see you sing it before we change. Uh, hear! Hear you sing it before we change.” He ran his hand through his hair.

Mila laughed delightfully. "You just want to see the purple," she said with a twinkle in her eyes before she went to the terminal and sorted through the music selection until she found what she wanted. When the beat started, she turned to face him and started to sing Veter S Morya Dul.

"Veter s moria dul
Nagonial bedu
I skazal ty mne
- Bol'she ne pridu

Vidno ne sud'ba
Vidno net liubvi
Vidno nado mnoi
Posmeialsia ty...

Ia tebia liubliu
Chestno govoriu
Ved' ty znaesh' sam
Kak tebia ia zhdu...

Vidno ne sud'ba
Vidno net liubvi
Vidno nado mnoi
Posmeialsia ty...

Vremena proidut
Gody prletiat
Pervuiu liubov'
Ne vernesh' nazad...

Vidno ne sud'ba
Vidno net liubvi
Vidno nado mnoi
Posmeialsia ty..." ²

Aidan stood and clapped. “Bravo! Bravo! It was magnificent! And I was right, that beautiful accent, uh, beautiful language just rolls off the tongue. Great job. And it was upbeat and happy, not the sad ones that you have spoken of before. But,” he said, “I didn’t see any purple?”

Mila smiled and blushed at his applause. "Thank you," she said. "It is kind of a sad song, but it is also full of hope which makes it better. Perhaps one day I will tell you what it means. As for purple, you will have to wait." She winked at him and reached to turn off the music.

“Full of hope, yes that is good. And I look forward to that day when you tell me what it means. It gives me hope that we can enjoy one another’s company again, after this time off.” He paused and winked back at her. “I will of course wait, Mila. You have nothing to worry about, there. Now, why don’t you go change first? I’ll keep Chow company.”

Chow jumped down from her shoulder and went to tug at his pant leg while Mila headed into the bedroom to change into a pair of cutoff denim shorts and a black bikini top.

“Come on up, Chow,” he said. “We’re going to have a seat for a few minutes.” Aidan sat down on the couch.

Chow made short work of quickly scampering up Aidan's pant leg and then to his shoulder where he gave a soft hoot and looked at the man.

Aidan looked at him and began rubbing his back. “I don’t know if you can understand a word I am saying, but if so, this is just between you and me. You know, us guys.” He chuckled a bit as he glanced over at the simian.

The little Capuchin monkey cocked his head and held a paw out before he waved it from side to side. It was clear that he understood a little, but only someone who had been around him for a while would understand what he was saying.

“Your Mila is a wonderful woman. She is smart, funny, and simply a joy to be around. Oh, and she’s a terrific singer. But you already know all of that.” He paused to listen for her coming down the hall. But the carpeting was soft enough he doubted that he would hear anything. “She’s great, Chow, too great to be talking about sadness and being alone. I wish I could fix that. But if there is something being built here, I do not want to ruin it. My people are a patient people. And even if they were not, I am a patient man. I could wait for years. And enjoy every day talking, laughing, teasing…getting to know her. And of course treating her the way one should treat an Antarian Moon Blossom.” He paused again to listen.

Chow listened, recognizing the name of his mistress and himself, but he heard the tone of the man that Mila had spent the evening with more than anything. He put his right paw on Aidan's head and gave it a soft pat before he hooted and looked towards the hallway where his mistress had gone.

A moment later, Mila emerged from the bedroom and came down the hall wearing a pair of sandals. She smiled when she saw Chow sitting on Aidan's shoulder as she approached them. "First you are trying to get me to drop my panties, now you are trying to get Chow. Shame on you," she teased jokingly.

“Ah-ha, ah-ha-ha-ha,” he laughed in an obviously fake manner. “You are a riot, you know that?” He noticed what she was wearing and smiled. “And you’ve just reminded me that I need to go change. Excuse me, my new-found friend, Chow and his Mila.”

She smiled at his antics as Chow jumped off his shoulder and scampered over to her. "You are excused, and I must keep you on your toes."

Aidan got up and went into the bedroom. A few minutes later, he returned wearing a pair of sandals and a pair of knee length cargo shorts. He had one of the hotel’s towels flung over his shoulder. “I have a shirt that goes with it. But since we will be on the beach, I decided to leave it here. What do you think?”

Mila wanted to whistle and catcall when he came out with no shirt on; the man was built and it was all she could do to keep her eyes in her head. "I...I think I f-forgot a towel," she managed, but didn't make a move at all towards get one.

“Why Mila Rasputin, I never thought I would catch you unawares,” said Aidan. He decided to take full advantage of the situation with their usual repartee. “You don’t need a towel; we can both use this one. It’s a little small, so we would need to sit close together. If you think you can handle it, that is.” He then grinned and winked. “And what did you say a moment ago? Something about me trying to get you to drop your panties? How’s that working out?” he jokingly teased.

She sputtered and blushed bright red, her hands opening and closing as she fought to respond in some way or another. "I...I am thinking," she said after a moment. "That you are both gentleman and rogue." She finally managed. No man had flustered her like he had in a long time and she was tempted to go into the bathroom to see if she were still wearing panties.

“If you would like a towel, I will go get one for you,” Aidan said, smiling as he saw the Russian songbird brightly blush. “If not, then we three can go down to the beach.”

"Da...a towel," Mila said as she forced herself to meet his eyes. "I...will get a towel." She felt the heat on her face and quickly headed to get one for herself. When she made it into the bathroom, she looked in the mirror. "Mila Anastasiya Rasputin," she said. "What has come over you? The man is gorgeous, da, but you are acting like a teenager." She took a few deep breaths, then grabbed a towel before she glanced at herself again. "Maybe, but I am having fun."

With that, she headed back to the living room with a green towel. "I am ready when you are," she said with a smile.

Dipping his head and smiling, he said, “Then let’s go.” He opened the door and, as always, stepped to the side to allow Mila and Chow through first. “After you.”

Chow once more clambered up on her shoulder. "Is that the gentleman saying that, or the rogue who hopes to look at my behind?" She asked with a smile.

“That’s for me to know and you not to find out,” he said. “At least not now. Maybe someday I’ll tell you. If you’re a good girl.” He smiled at her. “Now, do you want to go out or do you want me to go out first?”

"If I'm a good girl?" she asked as she sauntered out the door with a sway to her hips. "I do not know what you mean by that."

Aidan watched as Mila swayed out the door of the hotel room. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Well that works for me. Behind,” was all he said and shut the door behind him. He joined Mila and Chow. “Shall we?”

Mila looked over her shoulder at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "I knew it!" she exclaimed. "If he does it again, Chow, let me know." Chow hooted, but made no move to chastise Aidan. "The beach it is."

Aidan smiled at Chow and looked to Mila. The trio started walking towards the beach. “It looks beautiful out here,” he said. Waves lapped at the powder white shoreline as some unusual birds flew overhead. Even though the sun was starting to get low on the horizon, it was still very warm out. “It must not get that cold at night here,” said Aidan. "Oh, by the way, you will not know when I do it again."

"Then I will have to walk behind you from now on," she said. "It is only fair, is it not?" she asked as she walked beside of him with her hair flowing in the warm wind. She inhaled deeply and let it out in a long sigh. "This place is absolutely beautiful!"

“Yes, I suppose you are right, Mila. So anytime you’d like to walk ‘behind’ me you are more than welcome,” said Aidan. He turned and smiled. “I could come back here on a vacation or shore leave or something and spend two weeks. Imagine it, sun, sand, and surf for two whole weeks. No Science Department, no research, no forms, no reports…nothing but pure pleasure.”

"It would be wonderful," Mila agreed. "An entire planet dedicated to pleasure and enjoyment. I could almost think about retiring to a place like this."

Aidan laughed. “I could retire three times to a place like this.” The two continued walking down the beach as it slightly, and slowly, began to curve. The waves were fewer in this area and the ocean seemed calmer. He sighed. “You know, there were a few places like this on El-Auria, nice beaches. Some had resorts, hotels, and the like, but a good number of them were undisturbed. Those were the best.” A bit of sadness had crept into his voice as he began remembering and talking about his home-world.

She took his hand to stop him. "Aidan," she said quietly. "Do not be sad. I know it is hurtful, but if you only live in the sad memories, that is all that you will ever have. Do you have good memories to share?"

Aidan smiled, “Yes, yes I do.” As his mind went back to those good memories, he realized that Mila had taken his hand. He squeezed it a little and then held on, like it was his anchor keeping him steady in the storm of memories. “There was this time that my parents took me off-world to a planet in a star system near ours.” Aidan began to share with Mila the memory of when his first trip to a planet covered mostly in water. They jumped from low-flying shuttles into the oceans. They rode watercraft for hours. And sometimes they simply floated. The rush for him was when the pilot of the shuttle flew over the water while he was holding on to a rope and ‘surfing’ on the water’s surface.

Mila smiled as she listened attentively while he shared with her. She knew that it had to be one of his more enjoyable experiences and wanted to give him the attention he deserved. She kept her hand in his for support and was pleased when he didn't pull it away from her and gave a small squeeze. "It sounded like a wonderful time, Aidan," she said when he finished. "Perhaps we can do the same here before we go back to the ship."

He turned to Mila and smiled. It was a happy smile. A smile filled with gratitude and sincerity. “I would like that,” he said as they continued walking. “Thank you, Mila. Maybe tomorrow morning we can see if we can find one or more of them to do here.” He had not yet released her hand. And in all honesty, he had no plans to do so. It felt…nice.

"No, thank you for sharing it with me, Aidan," she said softly as she walked beside of him. She noticed that he didn't release her hand and she had no plans to release his, either. "I wish that I had memories like that. My family lived in New Berlin on Earth's moon and everything we did was under domes. It wasn't until I joined Starfleet that I actually began to get a better understanding of how big the galaxy was and how many wonders there are. Every day, I experience something new...and meet someone wonderful."

Aidan gave another small squeeze on Mila’s hand, though this one lasted a bit longer. “As do I, Mila. Meet someone wonderful, that is.” He looked over at her and winked. “But you shouldn’t wish for memories like someone else’s. Just strive to make memories with someone else…as we have done already and plan to do tomorrow. So, New Berlin, huh? What did you get to do under the domes?”

Mila smiled and looked up at him. "Oh, I'm not wishing for someone else's memories, Aidan," she said as she thought about all that she had seen in her career. "Mostly, we waited to attend the Mazurka Festival, which was mainly eating sausages and drinking beer. I always wondered why my parents did not live in one of the Russian colonies, but my Father always said that it was important to experience other cultures. That is what led me to Starfleet after I graduated."

“And in Starfleet, you will certainly experience other cultures,” said Aidan. “So, what would you like to try first? Jumping from a low-flying shuttle into the ocean, riding some watercraft, or shuttle surfing? I am willing to do anything. You just name it.”

"Certainly not tonight," she said. "But shuttle surfing sounds like fun. I love an active sport; I would just need a good instructor to show me how it was done." She gave his hand a squeeze. "And you sound like a very good one."

“Of course not tonight. There are better things to do tonight, like walking on the beach with you, Mila,” he said. Aidan felt her squeeze his hand again. He smiled. “I would gladly show you how to shuttle surf. It is lots of fun.” They continued walking down the beach. “Would you like stop for a while? We brought towels we could sit on?”

"That sounds like a good idea," Mila said as she looked up at the moon which was far closer to the planet than Earth's moon was and bigger. "They say the moon has a major influence over people as well as bodies of water like it's just another natural attraction." She looked back at him. "Do you believe in natural attraction or that other forces have to be at work to influence such?"

Aidan spread out Mila’s towel for her and then his. He pondered her question as he sat down. He put his hands behind him and leaned back, looking up at the moon. “The proximity of the moon has been proven to affect bodies of water on Earth. I would imagine it is similar on other worlds. And in all my two-hundred eight years, I have seen my fair share of human bodies affected by the moon. I would say it helps to provide the ambiance needed for the natural attraction of people.” Aidan, remembering what Mila was wearing, turned and smiled. This very close and very bright moon reflected well.

She took a seat beside of him and admired his profile for a moment in the moonlight as she listened to him. A part of her wanted him to shut up and kiss her, but she heard the voice of her father in her mind Mila Anastasiya, get to know him. Learn so you will not be hurt! and she mentally sighed. He was a very handsome man and she could easily lose herself in him, but she couldn't help but want to abandon the teachings of her father for once. "Being raised on a moon, I have to wonder if they would affect me or not," she said to have something to say. They say people raised on Luna are Lunatics anyway." She gave a smile to let him know she was joking.

He turned to admire her, once again, and saw her smile. Aidan chuckled. “Eh, who cares what other people say,” he replied. “They are the Lunatics.” Then he breathed deeply and replied to her other statement. “Oh, they affect you. Trust me.” He was silent. Just staring as he had done earlier that day.

"Da," Mila said as she felt her heart began to race in her chest and attempted to calm herself. "Be that as it may, I think that attraction should be natural," she murmured as if she didn't want to spoil the ambiance of the night.

“Nothing forced, nothing just for the sake of it, nothing to prove a point,” replied Aidan. “I understand what you say. I have seen many cultures and studied many long dead alien cultures who believe differently. Things do not seem to work out as well as they had hoped when it is forced or convenient. But all that aside, it is a beautiful night.”

"It is," she agreed. "I have not enjoyed myself in such a way in a very long time, Aidan, and I thank you for all that you have done this evening. You cannot begin to know the silence that you have filled."

He sat up so that he was not leaning back on his hands. “You are more than welcome, Mila. I am glad that I could be as helpful to you as I have.” He reached for her hand, took it in his, and began to bring it up. “May I, m’lady?”

"Da," she said with a blush as he took her hand.

Aidan slowly lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. He then lowered it back down to the towel, still holding on. His eyes met hers, and he smiled.

The blush deepened when he kissed it and his eyes met hers and felt as if a connection had been made on a level deeper than the moon, but Mila managed to keep her composure even though a bright smile lit her face. "Such a gentleman," she said. "I...am looking forward to more evenings like this."

“As am I, Mila, as am I,” replied Aidan. He was glad that his gesture was accepted, and so well at that. He hoped for some more opportunities to do so. Then he looked back up to the sky and noticed something unusual. He could hardly see any of the surrounding stars or brighter, nearby planets in the system due to the moon being so close and so bright. “Look at that Mila,” he said, gesturing to the night sky, “the moon is so bright that you can hardly see the other heavenly bodies, the stars and nearby planets. Amazing.”

"It is beautiful," she said as she looked up at it. "It shines in the night sky to illuminate the land and bathe us in her silvery light."

“Wow,” he said, in a somewhat hushed tone. “You cannot only sing, but you have a way with words. Do you write anything? Poems? Lyrics?”

"Nyet," Mila said. "It just comes to me. When I was little, I had no moon in the sky to look up to, so I had to imagine what it was like. Seeing this moon as it is inspires me to put it into words which I never had before."

He gently squeezed the hand he had just kissed moments ago. “Well, it is good. You should think about writing some of them down.” He looked down at Chow. “Is he…snoring?”

She looked at Chow and smiled. "He is," she said softly. "I think we put him to sleep." She looked down at his hand and smiled before she gave it a small squeeze in return. "I don't think you have any fear of putting me to sleep, though."

“Kind lady, I am glad to hear you say that,” he replied. “I am enjoying tonight, as well. Though if you did fall asleep, I would carry you, and Chow, all the way back to the hotel, put you in bed, and pull the covers up to keep you warm.”

"You are so sweet, Aidan," Mila said. "You will make some lucky woman a very fine catch when you decide that you have found the right one."

He grinned, “Thank you, Mila. Though that will not be a decision that I make lightly. Nor will it be made quickly. Whoever she is, must deal with getting to know me and me getting to her first, which means spending time doing things that are not centered around the bedroom. As we said earlier, natural attraction.” He squeezed her hand again. It was soft to the touch and warm. He liked holding her hand. “And may I say that the one you choose as your right one will even luckier.”

She smiled. "Such as you and I have been doing, perhaps?" she asked with a wistful smile. "Have we not been getting to know each other outside of the bedroom? Already we have eaten and laughed, I have sang and now we are on a beach. That is a good start, I would say."

Aidan returned her smile. “Yes, we have been getting to know each other outside of the bedroom. And yes, we have eaten and laughed. You have sang, and beautifully I might add, and we are enjoying one another’s company on the beach below a bright moon after a gentlemanly kiss of your hand. I would say that is a very good start, Mila. A very good start."

"So...what does that mean, Aidan?" Mila asked him softly. She immediately wanted to kick herself and run off into the night with Chow, unable to believe that she had just asked him that, but she had faced angry Captains and stood her ground.

Aidan took a deep breath. There had been times all day today that he had wondered, but he dared not dwell on the topic for fear that it was not. But now…now there was none of that fear. “I suppose it means,” he said, “that we have started journeying down a road together. A road that I am willing to take and learn more about you as we go. A road that you must be willing to take as well. For I will not force you, Mila Rasputin, to travel where you do not wish to tread.”

She smiled. "My middle name is Anastasiya," she said. "For Russians, familiarity involves two names, but you do not have to use both. For me, it usually meant my father had a lesson for me." She gave his hand a squeeze. "And if you are willing, Aidan Crehan, then I am as well. Each star is a step, and exploration is the goal of Starfleet, da?"

2
Russian, translation=:
The wind was blowing from the sea
It came up with trouble
And you said to me
"I won't come again"

Looks like it's not our fate
Looks like there's no love
Looks like to me
You laughed at me

I love you
Speaking honestly
But you know it yourself
That I'm waiting for you

The time will pass
The years will fly by
The first love
Can't be returned

Looks like it's not our fate
Looks like there's no love
Looks like to me
You laughed at me

RSS Feed