by Lt. Micah Samson
90114.2200
Concurrent with Do You?
--=USS Alchemy, on Bajor=-
90114.2200
Concurrent with Do You?
--=USS Alchemy, on Bajor=-
How radiant she had been the other night. During the celebratory party, in their honor, Micah had seen a side of Fleur Le Marc he never had before. A side he would not have believed existed from what he knew about her. Her wit was sharp as always, but her demeanor had changed from that of a longing woman in the throes of infatuation, to the nervous excitement of a woman newly in love.
Of course, there was no real change in Fleur’s feelings. She had always loved, still loved, and would always love Vedek Jariel. It was the change in Jariel Camen that made the difference in Fleur.
He was happy for her, he really was. Just like he was happy for February, now.
Had it really been almost a year since the conversation he had had with February? The bruise of her marriage to Dabin Reece was still fresh on his heart when he had spoken to Lieutenant Grace that day in stellar cartography. Micah had confessed his feelings for February, his disappointment that she had married Reece so suddenly, and requested that she 'keep a safe' distance from him.
Of course, as soon as he did it, he felt like the most horrible man in the galaxy for doing so. He had only wanted to make it hurt less. If she weren’t working so close to him, it would be easier for him to not have the feelings for her that he did. She’d never been anything but sweet, kind, and friendly to him, and he’d repaid February for it by asking her to stay the hell away from him. She certainly did not deserve such a reaction, but she also didn’t understand how easy she was to love, and how hard it was to see Dabin Reece sweep her off her feet in the blink of an eye. He could tell the man truly loved her as well, and believed Dabin Reece would never be foolish enough to let the prize that was February Grace get away.
So time would pass, and she kept her distance, just as he’d asked. The more he saw February and Dabin together, the more used to it he became, and his mind began to entertain other possibilities. Not that a part of him wouldn’t always wonder “what if,” every time he saw her. Just that he came to the realization that there were other fish in the sea, and that pouring over scientific journals was not enough to sustain the heart for a lifetime.
As the pain of February and Dabin’s romance faded in Micah, the ache to be loved grew stronger and stronger. His mind wandered back to a conversation, in the Afterthought Café, he had just days after speaking with February in Stellar Cartography. A conversation he thought little of at the time.
Now however, as he manned the transport console to send Jariel, Hartcort and Adams off to the Vedek Assembly, he could think of little other than that conversation, and the fact he was about to be alone on the Alchemy with her.
-=Flashback to Separation Anxiety=-
Zanh rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Now I know you're worried about February going off on the Alchemy without you. You just called me Captain."
Reece shrugged.
Across the room at the coffee bar Micah Samson sat nursing a cappuccino. He cast a wandering glance over to Zanh and Reece in their corner booth.
Fleur Le Marc had noticed Micah was not his usual self lately and she had guessed, correctly, that it had to do with a woman.
"Now, there are a couple people I wish could have somehow hit it off romantically." Samson whispered to Fleur, gesturing toward the pair.
Fleur pushed a fresh cup in front of him and removed the half-empty one that he'd let go cold. *You and me, the both of us.* She thought. She didn't speak, just smiled sympathetically as he thanked her for replacing his beverage.
February and Jariel walked into the cafe, signing to each other animatedly.
Micah watched Grace's hands move, her smile, the way she walked, and just wanted to disappear.
"You can't know what it's like, Fleur," He murmured, as he kept staring at Bru, despite himself. "To care about someone so much, from afar, and then realize that you never had a chance to begin with."
Fleur was, Micah noticed in that moment, staring at Jariel with a similar look of reverence and in an instant, he realized that she did know.
"Unless." He said, sitting up straighter on his bar stool.
Fleur scoffed as she picked up on his tone, grabbed the used cup from before him and headed for the kitchen again.
"Pffffft."
-=End Flashback=-
Samson had carried his torch for February for some time after that. Every morning he would see Fleur as he grabbed his cup of coffee, and think of the way she looked at Jariel that night in the café. One morning he looked at her long and hard as Fleur busied herself with the bakery of the day, and realized the two of them were so much alike. Kindred spirits if you will. Maybe they were each chasing impossible dreams when all the love in the world was standing right in front of them.
Micah began to wonder if there was something that could be had between himself and Le Marc. He had no idea if she ever felt anything for him, but even if she didn’t, if he could at least convince her to give him a chance. A romantic date, maybe two, and she would realize perhaps the Jariel Camen was not the beginning, middle and end.
Samson guarded himself carefully, making sure to not let his eager heart fall completely for her before asking her for an evening. He had made that mistake already, and paid for it dearly.
Every morning for about two weeks, he would open his mouth to say something. And every morning when her pleasant but sad smile would greet him, he would freeze, choke on his intended words, and ask for extra cream for his coffee.
Then the next person would put their order in, and Micah would suddenly just feel in the way.
“Tomorrow.” He kept saying to himself. The only problem was, the more he thought about what to say to her, the more time he spent thinking about her, and…
Then the Sylph came.
In the chaos surrounding the events happening on the ship, she was gone, just like that. He didn’t know when she left, or where she went. No one seemed to. He had a feeling February might know, but he sure wasn’t going to ask her.
He knew the Vedek had gone to Bajor, and was prepared to see him when the Alchemy was dispatched for the current crisis. What he wasn’t prepared for was who else was on Bajor, and who she was with.
It was pretty obvious from the moment he arrived that Fleur and Camen were now together. His kindred spirit had seen the seemingly impossible happen, and captured the heart of the man of her dreams.
The man of her dreams.
Not Micah Samson.
As soon as he had a moment alone, he paced back and forth in his quarters, lamenting his stupidity and talking to the walls, which were always too eager to listen to what he couldn’t say to the living.
“You sure can pick ‘em Micah! Who next? Lair Kellyn? Samthia Wej-Blakeslee? Zanh Liis? Maybe you should ask out Sue Tenney, if she isn’t dating the LMH by now. How in the world could Fate have possibly led her, and him, here, of all places? Well?”
Micah stared into the mirror now, demanding an explanation from his own reflection.
“I don’t know, you tell me! You’re the scientist!” He answered on behalf of his reflection.
Micah stood there for several minutes. He adjusted his glasses, straightened his uniform, and tried to pull himself together. He ordered a coffee from the replicator, took a whiff, felt his stomach turn, and dumped it down the sink.
Nothing could change what had happened, so he coped as he always did when he realized he had come up short. He worked.
Micah volunteered to do anything to help Adams and Hartcort, and when they had nothing for him, he read through the latest journals from Starfleet Science. He managed to avoid any contact with Fleur as best he could. Then the announcement came down, that Vedek Jariel wished to throw a party for Fleur and the Alchemy crew.
“Wonderful.”
The fact she had shown up dressed to impress the man she loved did not help in making the evening any easier on Micah Samson. He kept his distance, again, and managed to actually have an enjoyable time playing games with the children.
He loved the sound of the laughter of children.
When Fleur and Camen departed the gathering together, there was little doubt that neither of them would be seen again until hunger drove them out of their quarters on the Alchemy the next morning. She looked so happy.
Camen looked so happy.
February looked so happy.
Micah wondered if he would ever look like that, or if someone else would look like that, because of him.
So now, as he stood at the transporter console, having just watched Jariel, Adams and Hartcort beam away, he knew he could not stay here any longer. He secured the panel and left the transporter room with all the intention of walking down to the surface.
“Lieutenant Samson!”
The French accent was like a dagger. Micah froze in corridor, as Fleur caught up to him.
“Yes, Miss Le Marc?”
“Did the team transport go as planned?”
“Yes, the Vedek arrived safely at his destination.” Micah replied, as he slowly began to walk again, with Fleur alongside him.
“Where are you headed?”
“I am going down to the orphanage, to see if Ensign Cristiane needs any help, with whatever he may be doing at the moment.”
“Good, I will come with you, no? Tress is down there, and I would like to visit the other children.”
“That’s fine.” Samson said. He quietly walked to the lift, into the lift, down the ramp, and onto the surface while keeping his mind on anything other the Fleur. He fiddled with his cuticles, picked at a non-existent scab on his elbow and rubbed the corners of his eyes.
“You are awfully quite, Lieutenant Samson. Are you all right?” Fleur asked at last.
“Just fine, thank you. I’m just, worried, about what will happen today. I hope the Vedek can convince the Assembly that Relanon is responsible for the fever.”
“He will, I have no doubt. I have never known Jariel Camen to be anything but completely persuasive when he needs to be. Especially when he knows those with no voice are depending on his.”
“I’m sure.” Samson replied simply. Fleur found the words somewhat snippy in nature, and wondered if she had said something wrong. He spied Dane in the distance, struggling with some sort of bulky container he was trying to carry into the orphanage. “Looks like he needs help, please excuse me.”
Micah took off running towards Dane, leaving Fleur behind. Fleur kept her pace, and arrived a few minutes later. She paused outside the door of the orphanage, and listened to the gentle winter breeze rustling the bare trees. The sun was shining and despite the cold she felt a warmth inside her like nothing she had ever felt before.
The front door opened, and Dane and Micah excused themselves as they slipped around her to head off and retrieve another crate of supplies. Dane heard the hum of a transporter, and instinctively grabbed Samson’s arm to stop him. Micah spun on his heel towards the sound. It was still far too early for Jariel and the Doctors to be returning.
Four men, dressed in Bajoran militia uniforms appeared. They ignored Dane and Micah, and walked straight up to Fleur.
“Are you Fleur Le Marc?” one of the men asked.
“Yes. How can I help you gentlemen?”
“What’s going on here?” Micah asked, heading back towards Fleur with Dane right beside him. The other three militia men fanned out between the two Starfleet officers and Fleur, and rested their hands on the handles of their weapons.
****************************
LT Micah Samson
Science Officer
USS Alchemy NX-53099
Currently on Bajor
LT Micah Samson
Science Officer
USS Alchemy NX-53099
Currently on Bajor