Posted by Shara Calloway (Intel Liason) in Pikelsimer’s Quarters- A Dinner Date

Posted by Civilian Micah Pikelsimer (FedSec Agent) in Pikelsimer’s Quarters- A Dinner Date

Posted by Shara Calloway (Intel Liason) in Pikelsimer’s Quarters- A Dinner Date
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Micah lay on his back, his eyes closed and the metal arm under his head. Without opening his eyes, he said “What kinda nightmares? Job or personal?” and his eyes opened and he turned his head and looked at her.

“Both,” she whispered, the word sounded harsh on her ear right now. Both: that terrible hell of work being mixed up with the personal. It made it hard to separate one from the other, and when you couldn’t do that, you risked losing perspective, of paranoia creeping into your waking life.

“You tell me yours, hun… I’ll tell ya mine.”

Pikelsimer

Did her eyes look haunted? That was the sensation she could feel in her body even though ‘haunted’ was not an emotion. But there was no other way to describe it. “I’ve had a lot of difficult ops, many dangerous, but I rarely was one of those agents actively targeting anything.” Or anyone. Rarely, but not never. “My expertise was predominantly reconnaissance. And I never had a problem until after I returned from Romulan space… the third time. I’ve been diagnosed wth PTSD. It was Faye, Micah. My nightmares always are about her being in danger and my not being able to get to her, or the reverse of our situation where I’m being harmed and she’s forced to watch or is in some way unable to stop it. I had them under control in the aftermath after she escaped and I was able to extricate myself from that gods-be-damned facility, but the medication and all my coping strategies aren’t enough right now. Watching her struggle, even though she seems to have turned a corner, is…” Shara closed her eyes. “She’s been through so much. I’ve been through so much. Neither of us can bear to see the other suffer, as it should be. But it’s not a situation I can or want to escape from. She needs me. I need her too.”

Reaching out, her hand rested on his flesh arm, seeking solidness and reality. “I haven’t been with anyone since that hell with the Tal Shiar, Micah. My nightmares can get rather violent and… I don’t think I could handle accidentally hurting you in any way.” There. Honest disclosure. But it was not just a set of offhand remarks. Lying in bed, their bodies bare, this was an intimacy she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

~Shara Calloway

Micah laughed. It wasn’t demeaning or hurtful, it was a laugh born of compassion and understanding. And he smiled at her and ran a finger down her cheek.

“My little sparrow… honey, you ain’t gotta worry about hurting me. And if you do, so what? I guarn-damn-tee I’ve had worse. So let’s go ahead and take off the table and file it away in the ‘S=÷t That Don’t Matter’ pile, k?”

Shara desperately wanted to just nod and feel at ease, but it wasn’t that simple for her. Not right now. Maybe in a little bit, but that tiny bit of worry was actually reassuring to her in a bizarre way, and she knew that discarding it too carelessly would do her more harm in the long run. But the pet name and term of endearment made her give him a small and soft smile. “I will try, but if I can’t, then that worry is just where I’m at right now. It won’t always be,” she said knowingly. But tonight was a first for her. A seemingly long-run of them, actually, but she wouldn’t be able to see that right now while she was in the moment.

He sat up, propping himself up on an elbow. “Now as far as Faye goes? She’s damaged, Sha. You and I both know that. But so does she, and she’s facing it head on and talking to the right folks and making solid choices. She’s worked so hard to get where she is right now… don’t let your own pain cloud you seeing that. And of course she needs you, love. Your her Ma. And the reason she’s here in more ways then one.” and he laid back, metal arm back under his head.

Yes, that was true, and Shara thanked a multitude of things she still couldn’t quite believe in that she had been in the right place at the right time to make some events unfold as they had. And it was why she had been honest and adamant about not changing the sequence of events of her life. they all had allowed her to be alive and be in faye’s life now. And that was everything.

“J’you know I listen to her comms?” he asked with a grin. He knew something, and it wasn’t bad at all.

Pikelsimer

Of course he did. But that didn’t mean Shara wasn’t surprised. It swept across her face and through her eyes. It made sense. If Federation Security was worried about breaches and Faye still hadn’t been cleared fully, then they would want to take steps to make sure she wasn’t a threat. “Given I highly doubt she converses without encryption, that had to have taken a lot of effort,” she said with a tiny bit of amusement. It wasn’t her place to pry into her daughter’s personal life. Though they were slowly hashing some things out, there was still a lot unsaid between her and Faye. Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious and wanted to know about those comms. And dammit she knew he knew that too.

~Shara Calloway

“Helluvalot, actually. Had to get the kids at FedSec Crypto to help me. Even then it was rough. Finally I just bugged the comm relay itself.” and he chuckled. “Kid’s a goddamn surveillance nightmare… I love it.” He smiled and closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the grin spreading wider and wider. “Its not bad at all. And it’s not officially classified…”

Pikelsimer

Shara pushed herself up a little, bracing her elbow on her pillow and resting er head in her hands. She sighed. “Damn you. You know me, or types like me too much. If there’s info to be had it’s really hard to resist having it. And if it helps my relationship with Faye, then I’m willing to cross that line. So go head and tell me what you think I should know, Micah.”

~Shara Calloway

Micah smiled and leaned forward and kissed her, then laid back and put both arms under his head and closed his eyes. “You. I know you. And I don’t know if it’ll help y’all, but it will keep you from being surprised when she tells ya…” and he grinned again, savoring the moment he had Shara wholly wrapped up and wishing that could last for a long, long time.

“She’s in love, Sha. Big time. And it seems to be pretty damn serious. And… I pulled his file.” and he chuckled and grinned and waited for her to slap him.

Pikelsimer

Her brows rose. “You know you’re supposed to use your powers for good, not evil, right?” she teased. Shara suspected that the ‘feelings’ Faye mentioned that day on the holodeck might have been that strong, but she was actually surprised to hear someone else describe them so intensely.

“Give me the goods in the guy, Pikelsimer.” She wanted to make sure this person was okay for Faye, because her daughter’s history spoke to a long and terrible battle of missteps when it came to relationships. She wanted so much for a good healthy one for Faye, but she wasn’t sure if Faye was ready or not for one. But then again, what did she know about that? The one good stable relationship she had had died a long time ago in a war of their own making.

~Shara Calloway

Micah Pikelsimer was not exactly an intelligent looking man. He didn’t look dumb, but if someone said ‘Picture an intelligent human man.’, his face would not come up. I t was a fact that he used to his advantage frequently, but sometimes the true nature of the brain behind the eyes did show through.

“Hammor, Daggum” he began as if reading a file, even though his eyes were closed. “Orion, 34 years old, 6 feet 9 inches and 379 lbs. Big ‘ol boy…” and he whistled softly. “Lieutenant Commander, Star Fleet Engineering. Current duty station, Chief Operations Officer USS Athena. Prior duty stations include USS William Powell - Engineering Officer, USS Belleau Wood - Operations Officer, USS Manhattan; Chief Operations Officer… thats where they met a year or so ago, Star Base 1 - Logistics Coordinator… did a great job, lottsa good reviews… USS Harbinger Dawn - Chief Of Operations, USS Dresden; Chief Operations Officer… yanked back to Starbase1 - Special Projects Chief of Logistics and Material… earned a reputation as being tricky and devious when dealing with obstinate Dockmasters and Supply Clerks, then USS Athena as Chief Operations Officer.” he paused and opened his eyes and looked at her, his face becoming serious.

“Guy had a hard life, Sha. Dealt a losing hand form jump. Grew up orphan on Orion, so you know what that means. Made a reputation as some kinda pit fighter gladiator somethin’ from earliest records I could find, which was him at four years old. Escaped Orion in late teens with help from a retired Fleeter. Applied to the Academy four times before he was accepted. Solid Engineer, good mind in a big green body.” He took a breath.

“You Intel guys put a mark on him for recruitment, Sha. Wanted him as covert operative against the Syndicates. Went so far as sending out the Feelers, you know, the undercover folks who see if they think somebody’ll be a fit?” and he laughed. “Turns out the guy lacks the needed ‘moral flexibility’ needed, so they wrote him off.” He laid back down and then grinned wickedly. “If that ain’t a character reference, I don’t what is.” and he laughed and winked at her.

“Oh yeah… and he’s on Even Horizon’s arrivals for the day we dock, too.”

Pikelsimer