Breathtaking.
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| ACADEMY DAYS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Author: Tiggy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disclaimer: It is my sad duty to inform you that TPTB have every right to abuse them as they do. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rating: PG13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary: A twist on the Will Riker- blind date scene from Jery Taylor's 'Mosaic'- contains J/C, of course!!! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kathryn stood in front of the mirror, trying to arrange her hair which- as usual- appeared to have a life of its own. She still couldn't believe that she'd let Letty talk her into this...again. There were about a thousand things that she'd rather do right now than wasting an entire evening just to satisfy Letty's need for entertainment. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kathryn had feared that Letty wouldn't leave her alone until she'd found some 'gorgeous guy' who would distract her from her constant work. She'd tried to explain to Letty on several occasions that she was happy with her life just as it was, that she didn't want her life to be a neverending party. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Of course, Letty persistantly refused to understand her point on view, so now, Kathryn was once more getting ready for an evening with her blind date which- of course- Letty had set up for her. Today wasn't the first time this had happened. She'd gone out with some of Letty's friends before. So far, it had always been a complete disaster. But this time, Letty had promised, everything would be different. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *********** | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Kathryn, please! Just one more time! He's wonderful, you'll see. I think he's exactly your type- intelligent, charming, attractive and he's got a great sense of humor." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kathryn turned away from the terminal she was working on just to throw her roommate an exasperated glance. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Letty, that's what you said last time. And don't tell me you forgot that evening. I mean, just how boring can a man be ?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Come on, Kathryn, it wasn't that bad..." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Now Kathryn got angry. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "No, you're right...It was even worse! It wasn't just that he talked about nothing but Vulcan poetry all the time, no! He didn't take his hands off me all evening long! So don't blame me for walking out on him because you woud have done exactly the same!" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Letty sighed. "Okay, I'm really sorry about that and I told you as much. But I admit that I didn't know the guy very well. But this time it's different. He's a good friend and I promise you'll like him so please, come with me tonight!" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *********** | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kathryn pondered what Letty had just said. Then she looked up and shrugged. "Oh alright. If you're wrong I can always leave!" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Letty gave her a radiant smile. "I promise that won't be necessary. I'll meet you at the club at 2000 hours, okay? Dress sexy!" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| With that, she stood and left the room, leaving no time for Kathryn to change her mind. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| That had been just a few hours ago. Kathryn had regretted her decision the minute she'd accepted, but now it was too late to refuse and she couldn't just not turn up there...could she? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *********** | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| When she arrived at the club, it was 2015 hours, it had taken her almost an hour to decide on a dress and style her hair. In the end, she'd chosen long coral silk dress which was held up by two thin straps. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The front was decorated with an emroidered tendril of colorful flowers which began on top of the right shoulder strap and went all the way down to her left knee. The intricate embroidery together with her elegantly upswept hair gave Kathryn an almost exotic appearance. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| She hadn't planned on wasting so much time and effort on her looks. However, while standing in front of the mirror for such a long time, she had decided that she might aswell indulge herself if she didn't get any work done tonight. Besides, she knew that the club was a very exclusive place and she didn't want to stand out from the others because she was underdressed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kathryn entered the room and looked around. It took her some time to spot Letty and her boyfriend Richard at a table in the far corner of the dark room. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| She hesitated. Her 'date' was already there. He sat with his back to the door, so she couldn't make see what he looked like. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Well, I guess it's no use standing here and staring all night. Get it over with. She took one last deep breath and walked over to the others. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Hello, everyone! Sorry, I'm late but I still had to work on a paper for Admiral Paris." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Well, from what I've heard about the Admiral, it's a surprise that you showed up at all!" the young man to her left said. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Only now did Kathryn turn and look at him. She was shocked. Right there in front of her sat Cadet William Riker. She had seen him before, and of course she remembered. He was said to be the most 'wanted' man on the campus- meaning that there was hardly a woman who didn't have at least one eye on him. Because of that, he only went out with the most beautiful women. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kathryn had never even talked to him, and she had certainly never expected him to go out with her. She wondered why a man like him would agree on a blind date and decided that he must have owed something to Richard who in turn wanted to do Letty a favor and so here they were. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| She looked up and realized that Letty was just introducing them to each other. Will had stood up and held out a chair for her. She returned his smile and sat down. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It's strange that we've never met before. I'm sure I'd remember if we had." he said and gave her another smile which could only be described as breathtaking. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "We haven't." she replied. "I don't go out very often. As you said, Admiral Paris likes to keep me busy." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| They continued talking for a while and Kathryn decided that Will Riker- while certainly being charming, attractive and interesting- wasn't her type at all. He seemed so awfully sure of himself and his abilities. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| He wasn't arrogant, but it made her feel uneasy and gave her the feeling that here really was a person who could get whatever he wanted, which was dangerous because she still didn't know why he was here and what he expected from her. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The more they talked, the more Kathryn felt that she had to get out of there as soon as possible. She had known that it would be a mistake to come here tonight and decided that she had to put an end to this...now! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Kathryn?...Kathryn!" She startled when she felt Will's hand on her arm. He looked at her with concern. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Are you okay? You looked as if you were a million lightyears away." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I..." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Now or never, she thought to herself. "I just remembered that I...forgot...something!" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Letty stared at her. "What are you talking about?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Well, I...Admiral Paris told me to hand in my essay tomorrow morning and I haven't finished it yet." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Letty just stared at her with what looked like a warning in her eyes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You see," she continued, determined to see this through, "I was absolutely sure that Paris had said 'next week', but now I remember that he sent me a message yesterday where he told me to get it done until tomorrow at 0700." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Before Letty had time to call her on it, she stood and began to move away fron the table, gesticulating nervously and never looking directly into one of the bewildered faces in front of her.� | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I'm really sorry", she said, "but if I don't leave now I'll never get this done in time and you have no idea how mad the Admiral can get about something like this, so...Will, it's been really nice to meet you, thanks for the nice time! Letty, Richard, bye, I hope you'll all have a good time for the rest of the evening." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| With that she turned and practically ran to the door. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Once outside, she stopped dead. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What's wrong with you? They must think you've lost your mind! There's nothing wrong with Will, he's wonderful, so why did you just walk out on him? He may not be your type but that's no reason to treat him like that... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Face it, Kathryn, you're just scared. You were brave enough to choose Admiral Paris as your mentor but when it comes to men you're simply the greatest coward in the quadrant. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| She felt tears welling in her eyes. Lost in her thoughts, she startled when she heard footsteps and voices approaching. She didn't want anyone to see her like this so she decided to return to her quarters. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| While walking through the huge park which surrounded the academy, she tried unsuccessfully to stop her tears. Only now did she realize what a recluse she had become over the past several months. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Of course had she known that her choice to take Admiral Paris as her tutor meant that most of her time would be occupied by her studies. However, that wasn't what bothered her now. The problem was that, aside from Letty, she hadn't had any company at all for months. Now that she'd been forced to spend some time with a man like Will Riker , she'd fled because she wasn't used to socialising anymore. �� | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ����������� | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| He was on his way back from today's training. Boothby had really enjoyed torturing him today and now all he wanted was to take a long hot shower and get into bed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| He was a senior at the Academy. If everything went well, he'd recieve his first posting in only a couple of months. Although he was certainly looking forward to it, he felt a little anxious because he didn't know what to expect. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Would he get along with his comrades? Would he be able to rise up to everyone's expectations? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| He knew that there really wasn't much reason for him to be worried. He was well liked by both his friends and his superiors. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maybe you've been listening to your dad for too long. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| His father had never approved of his decision to leave his home colony and join Starfleet. He always said that one day, he'd come to his senses and realize that this wasn't the right place for him, that the spirits had other things planned for his future. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The young man had never paid much attention to all this. His father was just a superstitious old man who was still living in the past. Still it hurt him that he'd had to leave his home without his father's blessing. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted a lone figure walking slowly towards cadets' quarters. It obviously was a woman. He could make out her dress and figure in the moonlight but other than that, he couldn't see anything. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Normally, he wouldn't have paid much attention. However, he somehow got the impression that something was wrong. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| He approached the woman silently so as not to startle her. From the way her shoulders were shaking, he guessed that she must be crying. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maybe she's in trouble and needs help. He thought and decided to call out to her. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Excuse me," he said while trying to catch up with her. "Are you alright?" The woman stopped abruptly. He now stood only a few meters away from her. He watched as she lifted her hands and seemad to wipe her face before turning around. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Then she faced him and said with a throaty, slightly shaking voice: "I'm okay, thank you. I just want to get back to my quarters." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Are you sure?" he responded and walked another few steps closer. She eyed him carefully, seeming prepared to run at any moment. From that distance, he had a clear view of her face. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Her eyes were slightly swollen and were expressing her distrust. Still she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She wasn't even his type since he preferred darker hair and skin, similar to his own. But still he felt drawn to her, as if there were some odd connection between them. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I..." she simply stared at him for a few moments as if she were contemplating whether she should talk to him or just walk away.� | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I promise I won't bite." He said, smiling softly. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| At that, she seemed to relax a little and actually managed a smile of her own. Breathtaking. |
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| "Listen, why don't you join me in the mess hall and we can talk. It ought to be deserted at this time and noone will disturb us." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| When she didn't answer him, he added. "I don't want to gain anything from this. It's just that you're obviously upset about something and sometimes, it helps to talk to a person who isn't involved in whatever trouble you're in." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I don't even know who you are." She said, reluctance written across her face. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Oh...Excuse me. My name is Chakotay. I'm in my last year at the academy...And you are...?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Kathryn Janeway. I still have two years to go. I want to be a science officer." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I see, a true explorer. Well, Cadet, do you trust me enough to join me for a cup of tea and some talk?" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| She thought for a moment. "Make that coffee and I'll take you up on your offer." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Alright, coffee it is." he said and they started walking towards the main building. �� | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To be continued... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What's that phrase?- If you don't write, I won't, so please- Feed Tiggy!!! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back to my archive | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||