SIM:Taylor One Moment of Perfect Beauty

((Holodeck, The Beaches of Echevarria))

::Work talk seemed to be a huge topic even in your off time when it came to living and working in Starfleet. And it wasn't like she minded either. In fact, work, and all the things they were good at, became more of a passion than work anyways. It was good to learn things about the one you were drawn to anyways, but it was time to turn the focus back onto the man next to her, especially since the topic had found its way to computers and hacking.::

Taylor: What about you? You seem to have a gift when it comes to these things.

::They stopped and he turned to her. The grin on his face was anything but innocent; it seemed she had found one of those topics that he was supremely proud of but not willing to show off. It made sense, seeing as how the act of hacking could be seen as malevolent, though she couldn't see it as such in his hands. Thus far, his skills had done nothing but save them, all of them, over and over again.::

Breeman: Well let's just say I... had a bit of practice in my school days.

Taylor: Practice, eh?

::She returned the mischievous smirk.::

Breeman: Well, I occasionally would do some of the same things he did. You know, hack into the message digests and things. It was a challenge so I needed to try it.

Taylor: I can see that.

::Challenge was often the catalyst for such things, both on the bad side, and the good. It was also the catalyst to try new things and solve new riddles, ultimately resulting in people at their best. And their worst.::

Breeman: I tried to make sure I just didn't pay too much attention to what I saw. Once I got in I knew I'd solved the puzzle. ::Absently he said,:: You know?

::The last bit was said like the fading band marching into the distance; soft and unfocused. Their eyes met just then and she found herself suddenly as lost in his as he seemed to be in hers. A new look crossed his face, one that seemed to be the opposite of the frustration and confusion so often associated with the attacks that had found Starbase 118 as of late. There was no questioning of morality, or debating what fall humanity had taken, or if it were right to, how had he put it so long ago, 'terrorize the terrorists'. All of that seemed to fade into the distance as the entire fabricated world behind them did in her mind. Even his voice had become no more than a whisper.::

Breeman: I'm glad we came here.

::She took a step closer and slipped her other hand into his, seemingly locking them together as one entity on the vast and empty beach.::

Taylor: Me too.

::Her voice was just as much of a whisper as his was. It was as if speaking too loudly would cause the entire moment to shatter like a globe of glass hit with something sharp. There was little else in her mind now. Sahmson was as distant as he could be, as was the security chief, Murlow, and the entirety of Starbase 118. All that existed in her world at that moment was him and the warmth that his closeness brought her.::

::Still whispering, she grinned up at him.::

Taylor: Whose idea was it to buy the program again?

Breeman: Response?

::Her fingers gripped his a bit tighter and she nodded slightly.::

Taylor: Remind me to thank him later.

Breeman: Response?

::The soft lapping of the waves as they hit the shore seemed to surround them in a moment of pure perfection and beauty. She couldn't help but draw him the slightest bit closer, pausing a moment before she continued.::

Taylor: Kevin?

Breeman: Response?

::Still lost in his eyes, she made the decision not to wait for him this time. Before, she had found herself drawn to him in ways she still didn't understand, but she had left it to him to make the move where he had finally kissed her. This time, she wasn't going to wait.::

Taylor: You should kiss me now.

::A supremely playful look overcame her face as she looked up and waited to see how he would respond to that.::

::On Earth, there were so many quips and phrases that were used to try to convey the feeling of love into words that could be read, and understood, by those who might have come across them. Neat little piles of letters were formed to explain what could only really be felt. For those who had been there, the words seemed to have meaning. In high school, her friends often shared the little lines of text and smiled at each other as if they already knew all that they could about the feeling. To Savannah, though, the words seemed too elusive and flighty to catch. Having grown up in a neat little bubble that was devoid of such emotions, it wasn't hard to see that when it came to those short stacks of words, she was lost.::

::And yet, the blonde girl would smile warmly with her friends and nod in agreement as if she understood, though inside her heart ached just to know what made this 'love' so wonderful. It was something her mother had obviously known, and something, perhaps, her father had come to know at least a little bit, but because she had been born, Savannah had not been deserving of the feeling. At least that was what her father had decreed.::

::Many years went by and the emotion still hid from her. People around her found it, even those who she had seen put in the ground, yet every time someone seemed to get the slightest bit close to her, the defenses that existed in the wake of her childhood took over and ultimately pushed whoever it was away. For a time, Savannah figured she was doomed never to know the feelings behind those short little sayings back home, and for a while that was true, but everything seemed to have changed when she met Kevin.::

::The once blunt-to-a-fault, do-her-own-thing girl who fought to survive all those years found herself quickly tamed, for lack of a better word. Instead of relying on her survival instincts, and instead of keeping people out, she was suddenly overly concerned with him and how he felt and what she could do to make him stay rather than go away. It was uncharted territory for her, but something she longed for in the depths of her heart, and her mind. Still, she never found the words to say what she wanted to, and for a time, she thought that things would forever be beyond her grasp.::

::Then, as he kissed her for that first time in his office, she realized that words were not always what you were looking for.::

::There was more power in actions than there ever could be in words, even the neat little piles of words that came together to try to explain away love and all that came with it. The moment he had approached her that night, something inside changed; she no longer sought to avoid people and keep them away from her, lest she get hurt, but she now found herself undeniably intoxicated with her longing to be near him. And now, as she found herself encompassed by the warmth of his body, the intoxication only grew.::

Breeman: Savannah?

Taylor: Hmm?

::No words. No words could explain the sensations shooting through her body at that moment. Everything they said about it was right, from the weak kneed feelings to the strange sense of vertigo that hit her as he kissed her again.::

Breeman: I love you.

::Three words. He had only said three words, but an immense part of the universe seemed to suddenly come into focus. Looking up at him, she stopped everything for a moment, even breathing, as if testing to see if there was more. But when no more came, when there was no 'but' appended to that short statement, when she realized that perhaps there was no conditions, a soft smile grew on her face. In that moment, all of the quips and phrases the girls passed around in high school made sense, but they could never fully explain the feelings that raced through her mind just then. Love was more than words could ever possibly describe.::

::Now, unexpectedly, she understood with the understanding that came from a sudden realization. For her, it was the sudden realization that what she had been trying to figure out all along, and all of the strange feelings that drew her to Kevin, was just her falling for him. And it was that thought that freed her.::

Taylor: I love you too.

::They had been words that had been spoken to a select few in the past; her father, her mother, her best friend, but this time the words carried a far different meaning. Where it had been almost habit back in those days, the last time she had uttered the phrase, this time she meant it with every single ounce of her being. She had never felt so vulnerable; all of her defenses had been pulled down, seemingly naturally, by the man who now held her in his arms. And instead of scrambling to put them back up, for him, Savannah was perfectly content in letting them stay scattered to the wind.::

::Soon, it would be time to leave this place and mingle with the others who made up the senior staff, but they would forever take with them this moment. Savannah would leave the holodeck with enlightenment and an even more intoxicating feeling as they went their separate ways, but for now, they had Echevarria, the beach, the twin suns sinking down towards the horizon, and, most importantly, each other.::

::Again, she found herself in a place where no words could possibly fit. The silence that fell around them, where only the sounds of the ocean waves could be heard, was all that there was. But as she embraced him again, she found that actions really did speak volumes more than the neat little piles of letters and sounds that they all used to communicate. The message, love, was so much louder this way.::

::Finally she had caught what had eluded her for so long and the wait had been well worth it.::

TBC

--
Lt Commander Savannah Taylor
Intel/Marine Liaison (Eagle Eye)
Starbase 118 / USS Victory
As simmed by Commander Kalianna Nicholotti

Return to Kalianna Nicholotti