No Matter How Far
Posted on October 9th, 2015 by Alexis Wright and Kathryn Harper

by Alexis Wright and Kathryn Harper

After being cleared by the Jörmungandr’s medical staff, Lexy Wright lingered in Sickbay watching the backs of the doctors working on Lt. Commander Feyna while waiting for Kate. She absently loosened and shook out her hair, pulling it into a less lopsided and disheveled ponytail as she gazed numbly at the scene before her. Mercifully, the wait for Kate to finish her medical checks was only a few minutes, and her approach pulled Lexy’s attention away from the grim tableau surrounding Feyna. Giving Kate an appraising look, Lexy’s brows knitted together with concern. “You’re… all right?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” Kate answered with a relieved smile, then added, “Somehow, after all of that.” She put her hands on Lexy’s shoulders and looked her up and down before asking, “What about you?”

“A couple bumps and bruises, some minor abrasions from this heavy PSG, nothing serious.” Lexy waved her hand dismissively. “I’m fine. Unlike her.” With a troubled frown, she tilted her head to indicate the stricken Lt. Commander, guilt settling over her shoulders like a mantle.

“Let the doctors do their jobs, since we have done ours by getting her here.” With an uncomfortable shrug, the burden of her equipment accumulating after wearing it for such a long time, Kate offered, “In the meantime, shall we get out of this gear?”

With a tired nod, Lexy assented. “An excellent idea. And I could really use a shower,” she added with a grimace, making another vain attempt to improve the appearance of her hair. After a final uneasy glance in Feyna’s direction, she fell into step with Kate and they exited Sickbay together.

Upon arrival at the equipment bay, they found fresh uniforms and private changing facilities waiting for them. Wordlessly, they each entered a changing room and doffed their gear, pulling on clean clothes before reuniting in the common part of the bay, immensely relieved to be free of the weighty and restrictive equipment. From there, they made their way to the deck where their quarters were located, saying little along the way, content to simply be near one another.

They reached Lexy’s door first, and it swished open at her cue. She stepped into her quarters, silently reaching out and pulling Kate in behind her, drawing her into a fierce embrace and fervid kiss before the door had even finished closing. Lexy’s heart raced and butterflies fluttered madly in her stomach as she clutched Kate close to her, kissing her with an urgent need, like that for water in the desert. Her sudden passion caught Kate by surprise, startling her awake from the exhausted reverie that had carried them here. This level of intensity from Lexy was something new, causing a stirring within her in response to her lover’s need. Returning her embrace and kisses with equal ferocity, Kate answered with a fire of her own.

After a moment, Lexy began tugging at the fastener of Kate’s uniform while backing toward the bathroom. “Come on,” she purred, her voice low and husky. “I wasn’t kidding about that shower.”

Kate’s breath caught at her tone, also new and exciting. She reached for Lexy’s zipper, whispering against her neck, “That is good, because this side of you is really arousing.”

“Shut up,” Lexy whispered simply, covering Kate’s mouth with her own as she roughly peeled her uniform down to the waist. They fumbled to remove each other’s clothes, discarding them haphazardly throughout the room as they moved with haste toward the shower.

Once inside, Lexy wasted no time in hungrily sliding her hands along the curves of Kate’s lithe form, as if desperate to confirm for herself that her lover was whole and unharmed. Kate clasped Lexy’s soft, warm body against her, savoring the taste of her lips, intensely relieved that the danger had passed and they had both come through unscathed. Before long, their relief gave way to pure desire, and they eagerly indulged in the jouissance and solace that they could bring to one another.

Some time later, the couple were cuddled together in bed, each woman lost in her own thoughts. Lexy turned her face toward Kate and drowsily said, “You know, if we never ever do anything like this ever again ever, I’d be okay with that. The mission, I mean,” she hastened to add. “Not this. This is great.” To emphasize her words, she snuggled even closer into Kate’s side, her lips curved into a satisfied smile.

“I must say that I agree to both of those things. We accomplished something great, but next time, let someone else do it.” With contented strokes of Lexy’s chestnut hair, Kate continued, “As for this… perhaps we should not get out of this bed for a few days? I think I could sleep that long, among other things.”

Lexy giggled at the thought. “It’s tempting… but we have to eat sometime.” Slowly, she propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at Kate with a small frown. “But did we really accomplish something great? I mean… I know we saved those people, and we completed our objective, but…” She shuddered. “I don’t feel super great about some of the stuff that happened. You know?”

“I know. If you did not feel that way I would question your morality, as I would my own if I did not share your distaste for it. But in order to sleep at night, tell yourself that you did a great thing and focus on those we saved, because they would agree.” Kate had long ago internalized this rationalization of taking life in the course of her duties, and repeating it now was almost rote.

Chewing on her lower lip, Lexy wavered, and then nodded. “You’re right, of course. It’s just… hard. I’m anxious to get back to our ship and put all of this behind us. Get on with our lives. And,” she added, somewhat bashfully, the color faintly visible on her cheeks in the low light, “With whatever the future holds.”

“Now that is a pleasant idea to fall asleep to,” Kate answered quietly, fatigue creeping into her voice. Reaching over to trail her fingers down Lexy’s cheek, she smiled and added, “Much better than dwelling on the effects of following me on hopelessly foolhardy missions far from home.” Lexy made a moue at her, and Kate pulled her close with a soft chuckle as they returned to comfortable silence.

After an exhausted Kate had fallen asleep next to her, Lexy laid awake, trying to sort through the muddle of emotions she was feeling – about Feyna, about the mission… about Kate. As strongly as she felt about the first two, there was nothing she could do about them at the moment, so she turned her thoughts wholly to the last and most powerful. Since there was no one to see her, she didn’t bother to hide her lovestruck expression as she looked over at Kate’s beautiful face, serene in slumber. Feeling that fluttering in her stomach that was becoming familiar, she whispered, “I think… I will always follow you. No matter how hopeless. No matter how far.”