Meant to be Together - Part 4
Title: Meant to be together
Author: Beverly
Author's Contact: [email protected]
Archive: Permission to archive granted to Archers_Enterprise, ENTSTSlash, MEG-Archive, reedsarmory, reedsarcheryrange, and whoever wants to have�just let me know where
Rating: NC-17, slightly tissue-alert in Part 3, but with a happy ending
Status: complete
Series: none
Sequel to: none
Pairing: Archer/Reed
Warnings:� none
Spoilers: none
Disclaimer: the usual�me nothing�Paramount everything�*sigh*�just having my fun with the boys.
Beta: mainly the wonderful Mareel, queen of drabbles and grammar. Stormy for her wonderful reaction about Part 1, and Grainn� for her interesting thoughts, also Part 1.
Summary: Jon has an interesting meeting on an alien planet which openes him his eyes�finally.
Author's Notes: The �alpha-team�, mentioned in Part 3, is a tv-series here in germany. It�s similar to �Emergency Room�. I love it (alpha-team) and watch it every Thursday. The most interesting thing about it, that Dr. Eberhard Scheu is really gay (the character, not the actor). Anyone who wants to take a look at all the people I wrote about, just go to http://www.sat1.de/serien/alphateam/alphateam/ . That�s it. Have fun and pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaase�send me feedback�just a little word, a tiny crumb�thank you.
Meant to be together
Part 4
On board the Enterprise NX-01, now
Jonathan Archer stood in his
quarters. His mind was still reeling, still trying to process the things he had
seen and experienced that afternoon. The emotions, the feelings, the love, and
the terrible loss of his last experience.
And it was the loss he could
still feel in his heart. And it had been so senseless. So avoidable. If only
that doctor had told his Malcolm�had told him�but was he any better than that
doctor? The doctor had been hiding behind a broken heart.
And he, the starship
-captain?
He was hiding behind his
regulations. Behind his �anti-fraternization-rules�. Behind his fear of
rejection. No, he wasn�t any better.
But who said there would be
a rejection?
He could dare being
rejected. He could STAND to be rejected. What he couldn�t stand any longer was
the not-knowing, the insecurity he was feeling deep in his heart.
In some of his earlier
lives, and maybe in ALL of his earlier lives, he and Malcolm had been destined
to be together. Somehow they always had been able to find each other, even if that
had meant for one of them to cross the Atlantic Ocean and nearly die in that
attempt.
So, how difficult could it
be to find each other on a ship like �Enterprise��?
Very difficult, as he
thought a few hours later.
He had invited Malcolm in
his private quarters for dinner. The table had been carefully laid with a white
tablecloth, flowers and candles. Chef had made all of Malcolm�s favorite
dishes, and they had been drinking an excellent wine. Everything should be
perfect.
Should.
But it was far from being
perfect.
While Jon had been drinking
the wine, Malcolm only had sipped on his glass, and had decided to stick to the
water. The conversation had been labored, mostly about work, and slowly, ever
so slowly, Jon was losing his conviction that he ever would be able to break
down the walls this man had erected around himself.
But still he could hear the
harsh words of the old woman in his ear. The words he had been unable to
translate, but had been able to record. The words Hoshi had translated later
for him, giving her result to him with a questioning look in her eyes.
�Why should that old woman
call you a �stubborn son of a bitch�, Captain?�
His answer had been a
furious blush and some hastily stumbled words, ending in an �Excuse me,
Ensign.�
And now he was here, sitting
opposite a very uncomfortable looking Malcolm Reed who seemed to be wishing
himself far, far away.
So he decided to try another
tactic. Apparently the �easy-chat� wasn�t exactly what was needed now, so maybe
he should deepen the discussion.
�Malcolm, do you believe in
fate?�
�Pardon me, Captain?�
Malcolm was sitting over his
dish, desperately praying for a Xindi -attack to end this dinner. This was not
any different from all the other dinners he�d had with his captain over the
past years. He sat there, listening to his captain�s easy banter, every now and
then throwing in his own two pennies, and all the while he was trying his best
not to stare at the man he adored so much.
Sometimes at night, when he
was lying awake in his quarters, he tried to imagine what it would be like to
be loved by someone like Jonathan Archer.
What it�d be like to feel
his skin against his own. Or to inhale his unique scent that sometimes caressed
his senses when the captain passed by. Or to taste those seductive lips, play
with his tongue, tease him, slowly making love to that incredible sexy mouth.
Usually he was jerking off
after his thoughts reached the mouth, and when he came, he came with Jonathan
Archer�s name on his lips.
Did he believe in fate?
The question caught him
completely off-guard.
Did he?
He never thought about it
really. He coughed slightly and reached for his glass of wine to buy himself
some time to answer. Finally he thought of a way to answer.
�Well, I do believe there
might be some kind of red thread, something that might lead us unknowingly. I
don�t know if you could call that fate.�
Jon got up, turned to one of
the viewports, and looked outside. Malcolm�s gaze followed him, gently
caressing the muscular back of his captain. He was so lost in the observation
of his object of desire that the next question startled him. Again.
�But do you think that some
people might be made for each other?�
�Pardon?� he repeated
himself. He didn�t know what else to say.
Jon turned around, an amused
sparkle in his eyes.
�I mean�do you think that
some people might be destined to be together?�
�I�I�well, maybe.�
Jon sat down again, his gaze
never leaving Malcolm�s.
�And what would you do if
you met that person?�
Malcolm tried to make any
kind of sense of this conversation, but failed. He frowned slightly.
�I�m not sure whether I
would recognize him. Or her,� he added hastily.
�And if you did recognize
him exactly? Or her.� Jon added the �her� with a little smile.
Malcolm managed to stand the
warm gaze of his captain for exactly four seconds before he felt the heat in
his face, knowing he was blushing again. Slightly embarrassed, he lowered his
eyes. If he knew him exactly�if it were the man in front of him, he would take
his hand, kiss that inviting mouth, undress him slowly, and�and�and if he
didn't stop right NOW, he would have serious problems in getting up.
The silence stretched, and
Malcolm suddenly realized that the captain was still waiting for his answer. He
knew exactly what he would be doing.
�I would tell him,
Sir," he murmured quietly.
�Him?�
The captain�s voice sounded
very soft now. And without looking up Malcolm nodded. He saw no reason in
hiding his preferences.
�Yes, sir. Him. But I guess
in your case� her. You should tell � her.�
It hurt.
It hurt so badly.
He sensed more than he saw
that the captain was leaning back in his chair.
And he waited for the
inevitable. The formal good-bye from his captain that would tell him this
evening was over. But to his complete and utter amazement, it didn�t come.
Quite the contrary�
Jon leaned back in his
chair, watching his armory officer closely. Malcolm had his head bowed and
looked absolutely devastated. He was clearly waiting for a rejection.
Oh Malcolm, why do have to
make it so hard for me, he thought.
For a few seconds he simply
sat there and studied the sight in front of him. Malcolm, his shoulders
slightly slumped, head bowed, hands trembling. A man who was only held in place
by his sense of duty.
Risk.
Jonathan had to risk
something or he would lose Malcolm just like that doctor did 150 years ago.
�Malcolm, I�ah��
Suddenly the tension in the
younger man seemed to explode. He jumped up and threw his napkin on his plate.
Confused, Jon also rose to his feet.
�Captain, I assume it would
be best if I were to leave you now.�
Everything in Jon began to
scream �NO!�, and involuntarily he reached out to touch Malcolm, to hold him,
to stop him from leaving. The second his hand touched the younger man�s arm,
all his inhibitions, all the �buts' and �what-ifs' seemed to vanish. With a
deep moan he pulled the young man to his chest and kissed him.
Time stood still. Became
meaningless. Jon couldn�t say if he kissed Malcolm for seconds or for hours.
His senses were on overload, his whole universe narrowed down to that man in
his arms.
After what seemed a
lifetime, he let go, staring down into the wide-opened eyes of his armory
officer. What he saw there was unreadable. All he knew was that the man hadn�t
reciprocated the kiss. And that he felt like a complete idiot.
With a desperate expression
in his eyes, he turned away from these eyes, taking a few steps to the
viewport, staring out at the stars. He clenched and unclenched his hands,
trying to stop the trembling, and finally managed to say,
�I�m sorry, Malcolm. I� I
understand if you�d like to go now.�
He waited for the opening
and closing of the door, but it didn�t come. Nothing came. There was only the
sound of his own ragged breathing, the thundering of his blood in his ears, and
the almost too loud beating of his heart. Unable to watch his reflection in the
glass of the viewport, he closed his eyes.
An arm suddenly found its
way around his waist. A face pressed against his back, another arm sneaking
around to join the first, gently pulling him back against the body of the man
standing behind him.
�You wanted to know what I�d
do, if I ever met that special someone.�
Malcolm�s voice was quiet,
almost gentle. Jon nodded, not opening his eyes, relishing the feeling of body
against body.
Malcolm�s voice remained
soft, became almost hypnotic as he very slowly turned the man in his arms
around, suiting the action to the word.
�I would take him in my arms
like this, hold him tight as if to never let him go again. I would take his
face in my hands, look into his beautiful green eyes, and I would tell him, I
love you. You were meant for me, and I will never ever let you go again. You�re
destined to be by my side, and I by yours.� Jon� I love you.�
With these words Malcolm
closed the tiny distance between the two of them and kissed him.
Jon was overwhelmed. The
love and the trust he felt in those words and in that amazing kiss, made his
knees go weak. Without a trace of hesitation he deepened the kiss, gently
pushing Malcolm�s lips apart, diving into that sweet cavern of his mouth,
drowning�drowning�endlessly�
Malcolm had been his only
anchor in a sea of passion, of lust, of unadulterated love. Somewhere between
that first kiss and now he had lost track of time.
Hands were roaming over his
body, lips were searching for his most intimate places, and fingers were
playing on his body like he was a finely tuned instrument.
When he came, he was almost
sobbing, crying out Malcolm�s name as he had done so often before. But this
time when he came, he wasn�t alone. This time he felt Malcolm moving deep
inside his body. And he heard the long- drawn shout of fulfillment, echoing his
own, heard his own name in that one moment of white-hot ecstasy that left him
shattered into a million pieces.
Only slowly he came back to
earth, gliding gently in the welcoming embrace of his lover. Feeling him,
tasting him, breathing him in.
Now he was lying on his bed,
sweating, his heart beating wildly, while soft kisses were raining down on his
body, and a wet cloth cleaned the mess they both had made.
A single tear escaped his
right eye, running silently down his cheek, captured before it could fall down
onto the pillow by the tip of Malcolm�s tongue. And as if in a dream, he heard
the beguilingly accent of his beloved English-man.
�Sad?�
Slowly he shook his head; a
grin began to spread over his face.
�Unbelievable happy. You?�
Another tender kiss was
placed on his temple.
�Same here, cap�Jon.�
Lazily Jon moved his head to
face his lover.
His lover.
How long had he waited to
call him that. And it had taken an old woman on a foreign planet to open his
eyes and finally see. See those amazing gray depths now filled with so much
love it almost made him cry. See that long sinewy body stretched out next to
his own, finally allowed to touch it. He reached out, cradled the younger man�s
face in his right hand, and drew him closer to kiss those tempting lips once
again. Suddenly Malcolm pulled back slightly and looked deep into his eyes,
murmuring softly,
�Thank you.�
�What for?�
An enigmatic smile appeared
on Malcolm�s lips.
�For finding the courage to
do what I never would have dared. It�s been so long that I've � had these
feelings for you. When I got up this morning, I never would have dreamed that
you could ever reciprocate my feelings. When you left the ship this morning,
you showed no signs of��
He interrupted himself
suddenly, propped himself up on one elbow and eyed his captain suspiciously.
Jonathan smiled under his intense gaze.
�What?�
�You ARE Jonathan Archer,
aren�t you?�
Now Jon laughed out loud,
before he pulled Malcolm down to kiss him lovingly.
�Yes, Malcolm, I AM Jonathan
Archer. But you are right about one point� something really happened down
there. And though it sounds pretty unbelievable, I�m going to be eternally
grateful for it.�
�What was that?�
Jon quickly gave his
suspicious armory officer one more kiss, and then he told him his story of the
old woman and her amazing abilities.