Star Trek: Fortuna (Quedesha/Cheerio)

[cheerio_cherry]

The idea of being a doctor on the newest ship, the Fortuna, was one that Fiona Yvette Crusher loved. A part of her however was nervous. Very nervous. She was smiling even so as she headed to the teleport unit, relaxing as she was beamed aboard. She arrived dressed in her neat new uniform, she looked prepared and ready, sure of herself. Long auburn hair fell in a neat ponytail, her brown eyes clouded by worry even as she smiled and fought to hide it.

Many people considered her to be very talented and she was indeed a gifted doctor but she was also terrified of messing up. Wesley had been teasing her relentlessly for years now and she knew he expected her to fail. He was now a leiutenant on a new ship himself, having surpassed cadet and ensign quickly. Now she fought to remember what her mother was always saying.

"Never let things get you down when you can fix them."

The words were easy to remember and she smiled as she greeted her captain warmly. It was later when she was alone that she allowed herself to worry properly. Long hair loose now, her slim frame shaking as she sat there. Something told her she was doing something right coming here but she felt like something was wrong.

 

[Qedesha]

"Counselor's log, stardate eight six two four four point nine four. Counselor Kestra Riker on duty."
Kestra leaned back in her chair, running one hand down over her face. She had her mother's striking features, with huge dark eyes and masses of dark, flowing hair, tempered by her father's narrow jawline and high cheekbones. The result was slightly elfin, and very attractive.

The tight, flowing 'uniform' she was wearing also showed off her figure to good effect. It wasn't a normal Fleet uniform, instead she was wearing the soothing jumpsuit of a Betazed counselor. The dark turquoise material clung to her body, flaring at the feet and diving to show a hint of appreciable cleavage. Her limited empathy had already picked up some very direct thoughts from the crewmen she'd interviewed, bringing an amused flush to her cheeks.

She sighed, dragging her mind back onto the task at hand and leaning forward to check the list on the padd in front of her.
"So far, the interviews have gone well... the Fortuna's crew are emotionally stable and happy with the change to the new ship. I have called crewman Jones and crewman Gor'natz back for followup interviews tomorrow, as indicated in their logs. I'm now moving onto the officers, starting with..." she checked the padd, "... the medical officer, Doctor Crusher. End log."

She smiled at the name, remembering the stories her parents had told her. She was very interested in meeting the daughter of her parents friends. A brief stroke of her fingertips over the console in front of her and a request for an interview was waiting for Fiona's attention.

 

[cheerio_cherry]

Fiona had taken her chance to unpack easily, doing what she could to tidy her clothes in her closet before she unpacked and shelved her books, settling the photo of her parents on the ngihtstand. After she was finished she picked up her newly assigned duty roster PADD. After a while she had looked up the message in her files. She had smiled at the name. Counsellor Kestra Riker. The daughter of her parents friends.

After checking her appearence in her mirror she had sighed, tying her hair back again before she headed out. She didn't want to look too scruffy for her interview or for her first day on the job. She was sure she would one day look a little mussed and she was determined to look as good as possible before that happened. As she was heading through the corridors she was greeted by people and returned the greeting every time.

A momentary pause outside the counsellor's office was all it took for her nerves to kick in. She took a few moments to calm herself before she did anything like knocking on the door or chiming in. Once she was certain she was able to hide the majority of her nerves she did chime in, finding that she was able to smile and feel relaxed. Most days she was like this now, a leftover of her half-brother's bad temper and bad habits.

Now she stood prepared to enter, wondering just how much telepathy and empathy this girl had. Anything she had been feeling would be amplified now and that worried her. A lot.

 

[Qedesha]

Rather than calling out impersonally, Kestra immediately got up and walked over to the door. A light touch on the control opened it, her practiced smile faltering slightly as she took in Fiona's appearance. The physical attractiveness hit her like an actual blow.

Where on earth did these looks come from, she thought to herself, startled. She didn't remember any of the pictures of Fiona's parents being quite this enticing.

Fiona's nervousness was originally lost in the surge of her own emotions, but as her Betazed training reasserted itself and regained control, she became aware of the flood... indeed, she could barely miss it. She carefully rebuilt her welcoming smile and stepped aside.

"Please, I'm sorry... woolgathering for a moment. Come on in. It's a very great pleasure to meet you," she said warmly.
"Grab a seat. Would you like something to drink? I have a hankering for some tea myself."
She waited until Fiona entered before moving across to the replicator.

 

[cheerio_cherry]

Once the doors slid open Fiona felt the same punch of attraction. She had pushed her feelings away and concentrated on paying attention to what the woman had to say. The outfit had suited her and now she felt her eyes sliding up the woman's body.

She could tell from the look on the woman's face that she was feeling much the same, dark eyes meeting hers then dropping away.

Once Fiona had seen the feelings drop away from Kestra's face she had felt her own emotions going into a freewheeling motion. She felt timid now, sure that her feelings were clear to the woman, nerves still hit hard and she tried her best to push away the feelings, failing. Her eyes had met Kestra's again and she found a blush coming to her. "Thank you." She stepped in then paused. "Water sounds good."

She had settled then tried to rein in her sense of remorse. Her eyes slid closed for a moment, her hand coming up as she brushed away tears.

 

[Qedesha]

Kestra was aware of the welter of emotions. She kept her back to Fiona as long as possible, giving the woman time to recover her poise. A pristine glass of water and a steaming cup of tea were set on the little table next to the double seat, and then Kestra sat down herself, smiling professionally again, trying to ignore both her own emotions and the ones she could feel.

"I'm glad you had time to see me," she said as an opener. "I'm enjoying getting to know the crew. A good team so far, it's very promising."
She hesitated for a second, then decided to go with her usual approach.
"Now, my duty here is to keep you content and emotionally healthy. I'm lucky... most people are quite capable of dealing with that kind of thing on their own. I'm just around to offer support and the occasional touch of an outside view. This does mean, however, that we'll both be working with your mind, which is rather personal. So... to make it easier, I invite you to poke around in my mind first."

She smiled, letting the thought settle for a moment before continuing.
"What I mean is... ask me anything, anything you want no matter how personal, and I will answer. Anything said in this room is just between us, so... don't hold back."

 

[cheerio_cherry]

Fiona had looked up as Kestra settled, reaching for the water and taing a drink before she listened to the other woman's words. As Kestra spoke Fiona found it easier to settle, there was something calming about the other woman, something familiar. She knew that Kestra's mother had got on well with her own and she took a moment to wonder if that was why she felt so safe here.

The words 'poke around' drew a slight smile from Fiona. She felt happier now. Kestra clearly understood why she would be nervous even if that wasn't her own personal reason. She took a moment now to think about her words, she didn't want to go too fast and too personal. Now she wondered why it felt so right to say the words that came to her now. "Why did you...choose to come here?" The question was shy, her self-doubt showing as she'd paused for a break before finishing her question.

Now she found she was looking at Kestra a little closely, questioning what had made her ask that. She quessed it was something about the woman that drew her to feel safe. Something told her she could trust Kestra. The same feeling her own mother had said she had around Deanna. She guessed that was a family trait for both of them, trusting and being trustable.

 

[Qedesha]

Kestra felt contentment as she sensed Fiona calming, stifling the urge to nod to herself in satisfaction. She contemplated the question thoughtfully, assembling an answer.

"Well... I suppose most people think I joined Starfleet out of pressure from my parents, but actually the opposite is true... both wanted me to stay on Earth, to help people there, rather that move out into the conflicts that were growing out here. I was determined, though... I saw the Fleet as the place I could be of the most help, while also seeing interesting things. Of course, there's always the temptation of powerful friendships and relationships like our parents developed, to add the final irresistible lure."

She smiled again, nodding to emphasise her own words.
"This of course led me to the Fortuna... I specifically requested a new ship as a posting, to share in the growth of its own personality, and to help the crew come together. How about you, how did you end up here?"

 

[cheerio_cherry]

The words seemed honest and Fiona could sense that Kestra was worth trusting. Now she felt safer, safe enough to talk about what it was that made her choose this course in life. What had lead her to this point in time.

"I joined Starfleet young, youngest cadet they took my year... just 11 or so." Fiona smiled softly. "I spent so much of it listening to people talk about my mother, my father... Wesley." She sighed and shrugged a little. "I wanted to see that I wasn't just another Crusher." She let her smile drop then, speaking quietly. "I guess that's why I asked to be put here... not with your father and mother and not with my family... or Wes." Each time she'd said Wesley's name she sounded angry, fear and anger both projected in her body language and mood. "I needed to be my own person... no matter how much I love my family."

A pause fell before Fiona spoke again. "I'm glad I did, it's meant that I met Captain Dax... Leiutenant Worf's daughter... t's proven to me just what I always believed. We can be our own people even when we're passed on a great burden or even just a famous name." She paused and swallowed. "I'm glad I met you."

 

[Qedesha]

"I'm very glad I met you too."
The words didn't come out with the professional smoothness she intended... there was an edge of real meaning there, and she cursed herself internally for the slip.

Recovering, she set her mind back to business.
"I sense a lot of tension within you when you talk about your family... particularly your brother. I would like to try to understand that, if that's okay... why don't you start by telling me about him. I never met him myself."

It was a slightly risky gambit, pushing towards such a serious topic so early in the consultation, but there was a definite sense of a connection between them, a comfort that had already formed, and she was relying on it somewhat to move them forward. This was what her rational mind said... the emotional part of her was quite aware that it was an attempt to move away from her own unsteady thoughts.

 

[cheerio_cherry]

The softness and honesty of Kestra's words made it easy for her to smile now. That smile faded soon after. She felt edgy, nervous for some reason and she disliked that she could feel like that. That wasn't what she wanted to feel near this woman, at all. She needed to trust her.

The next question had shaken her out of her brave facade and she looked away, then down, clearly swallowing painfully. She was clearly scared of her emotions around her brother self-loathing and hatred mixing together. She had pushed it away. She needed to feel it now and say it.

"I..." She had visibly flinched and looked down. "I don't like him, not that much." The admittance had been painful enough to draw tears, painful tears. "He... he always laughed at me, picked on me." She looked away again now, struggling to hold back her feelings. "He hated me... he still hates me."

 

[Qedesha]

Kestra nodded sympathetically.
"I can sense how strongly you feel. I'm sorry. There's no law to say that you have to get on well with your siblings, of course."

She shifted, picking her next words carefully. One soft hand lifted to gently touch Fiona's arm, a hint of warm contact.
"Hate is a very strong word, though. I can't imagine anyone hating you, but of course you would know better whether he does or doesn't. Why don't you explain a little more about how things are between you?"

She listened carefully, watching Fiona as she spoke. She had to watch, to read the facial emotions and contrast them with those she could feel... but she was also watching because she simply liked looking at Fiona. Yet again, it was an almost physical effort to squash the inappropriate thoughts.

 

[cheerio_cherry]

Kestra's sympathetic nodding had made it all the more tempting for her to cry. Instead she pushed the emotion down. Fighting it. She wasn't going to cry now.

The feeling of Kestra's warm hand and quiet calming contact had helped. She felt a little less shivery and scared now. All the same she had done her best not to show her emotions, knowing Kestra would feel them all the same. Her emotions had risen all the same.

"Where do I start?" The question was quiet and she sighed silently. "He always picked on me. He made it so clear I wasn't good enough to be considered his sister..." She looked down, fighting back tears again. "So many years he chose to just pick me out if we played games, marking me as a loser." fear bubbled up as she fought back further tears, this time losing her fight and feeling tears come to her eyes then slowly drip down her cheeks.

"When I hit 16..." She shook her head. "Let's just say Wesley thought I was a good target for his creepy little games." She could vividly remember when he had pounced on her and made her his sex-toy. She had fought back at first. hen finally gone back to work, landing here at the age of 21.

 

[Qedesha]

Kestra felt the edge of the emotion when Fiona mentioned the games, frowning to herself as she recoiled internally from the darker emotion. The tears were already melting her heart, and she compulsively moved a little closer, reaching up as gently as possible to pull the girl into an embrace, their thighs pressed together by her closeness.

"I'm really sorry," she said softly, "But I have to ask. We can stop here if you want, or we can continue, it's up to you... but I want you to tell me about the games."
She could feel the dampness on her shoulder from Fiona's tears.

 

[cheerio_cherry]

Fion had felt Kestra withdraw and forced the emotion away, keeping her eyes on the floor until she was sure she'd be alright. Even as she listened to Kestra speak she knew she'd have to talk about the games much as she wished she could pretend they never happened. The feel of Kestra's shoulder under her cheek and her thigh pressed against hers had helped a little.

"How much..." She stopped then swallowed. "Alright." She knew she'd cry a little more but she forced herself to speak all the same. "He... always knew when... when our parents were going out." She paused, composing herself. "He'd wait until I was in bed then he'd come in, he'd start slowly, wanting to feel me flinch before..." Tears escaped her again now and she swallowed painfully. "Before he took all I had. All my innocence, all my bravery... anything that could hurt me he'd do."

 

[Qedesha]

Kestra kept the woman close, sharing her warmth, holding her reassuringly. Normally she would never dare touch a 'patient' like this, but she could feel the closeness between them and the trust they were somehow already building, and she always let the needs of the emotions override whatever propriety might be expected.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "You never told anyone?"
It was a silly question, but it had to be asked. With the flood of emotions she could feel she couldn't think clearly enough to structure a more complex one anyway.

 

[cheerio_cherry]

The words 'I'm sorry' had made her less distressed, her eyes meeting Kestra's as she answered. "No... No... I never... Jean-Luc couldn't have stopped him anyway and mama... he was always mama's little boy. A sweet innocent around her, he only ever took it out on me when she was out." She was fighting back tears now. "Nobody knew." Every word took great effort and even when she finished she had no real way of controlling her breaths.

Slowly the hurt had eased away, leaving her angry and in pain. She had let the anger drain, knowing it was the pain she needed to heal somehow. Her head came to rest against Kestra's shoulder, her sigh playing across Kestra's neck.

 

[Qedesha]

It was suddenly hard, very hard, for the young woman to keep her mind on professional lines. The warmth and closeness of the attractive form of Fiona, the powerful emotions filling the room, and her own, natural wants and desires... all of these were brought to a sudden point by the gentle caress of Fiona's breath on her neck.

She'd always had a sensitive neck, something past lovers had had a great deal of amusement with. It was easy to distract her, or turn her on, or even calm her down when she was angry, with a gentle kiss or nip on the curve of her neck.

She literally quivered against Fiona, then had to take a deep breath and gently disengage the hug.
"This was just supposed to be an initial evaluation," she said gently.
"I think we've covered a lot more than intended. I want you to come back tomorrow, after your duty shift, and we can talk a bit more... would that be okay for you?"

 

[cheerio_cherry]

The feelings were very much mutual. Fiona felt calm enough that when Kestra pulled back she didn't flinch at all. The feel of Kestra's quiver had made her own impossible to quench. SHe listened carefully as Kestra spoke and nodded instantly, seemingly less broken than she had been, simply opening up had helped.

"That sounds like a good idea." She agreed quietly. Something in her very much didn't want to show how she felt but all the same she forced herself not to react. "I'll... see you then?" She asked, seemingly reining in her emotions. She didn't doubt she'd have nightmares that night.

 

[Qedesha]

Kestra took a deep breath, then forced herself to break the body contact and stand, reaching down to gently take Fiona's hands and pull her to her feet.
"Yes, I think a break and a brief return to normality is best for you at the moment. We have plenty of time... we can take things slowly, which is healthy."

She smiled and led the woman to the door, brushing her fingertips over the control to open it and let her out. She couldn't resist reaching up with one hand to smooth away a tear mark, smiling softly and sympathetically at her.
"But I'm not chasing you away. If you feel you need someone to listen between now and then, or just someone to be close by, then call me immediately, okay? I'll come running."

 

[cheerio_cherry]

Fiona had felt the cool air the second that Kestra stood, she had willingly accepted Kestra's hands before she stood up. The gentleness was clear when she listened to Kestra's words. She was sweet and beautiful, just like her mother she guessed. "Okay... that makes sense."

As she walked with Kestra to the door she knew she would feel happier once they had explored what was bothering her. As Kestra brushed away the tearmark her breath hitched and she forced herself to calm. The quiet offer had made her smile. "Thank you."

 

[Qedesha]

The corridor outside was quiet... Kestra had specifically requested a quiet corner of the ship, for visitors to have the silence to calm themselves while walking. She gently eased Fiona through the door, waved a gentle goodbye, and then touched the control to make the door hiss shut.

The moment the door was between them she leaned her forehead against the cool material, eyes closing.
"Kestra, what are you doing?" she asked herself softly. Same-gender relationships might be a lot more socially acceptable than they were four hundred years ago, but doctor and patient relationships were still very carefully examined, and often found to be a problem.

Mind racing, but not sure how to find a solution, she flopped back onto her couch and put her head back.

 

[cheerio_cherry]

As Kestra was asking herself questions Fiona was trying to convince herself it was fine. She had walked back to her quarters to wash her face before taking her duty shift. She was pacing the medi-bay and waiting for someone to come whilst she was thinking about Kestra. Even her mother, a woman she considered mostly straight, was a little bit in love with her friend. Now she'd met Kestra she understood why.

As she worked on calming herself and waiting for a person to join her she thought her emotions through carefully. She was feeling less worried about her half-brother and seemed happy. Her long auburn hair was clipped back now, her clothing neat as she waited.

All too soon someone had shown. The physicals were half-done and now she waited, knowing she'd eventually have to summon Kestra.

 

[Qedesha]

The rest of her own active shift had been empty, and Kestra had actually fallen asleep on the couch... an occasional side-effect of the meditation techniques she'd learnt. If there wasn't a particular goal for the meditation it normally calmed her into a doze.

Her sleep was fitful, though. Anxious worries swirled around her in an unformed nightmare, and she eventually awoke with a start, looking around in a fright before catching up with reality.
"What was that?" she murmured, climbing to her feet to wander over and rinse her face. It was a pointless question, though... she knew what was on her mind, and she still had no idea how to resolve it.

The appointment waiting on her console immediately rocketed her heart rate back up. Her physical was due, and it was Fiona on duty. Playing for time, she headed for a shower and cleaned herself slowly and deliberately, but the time was soon there for her to head to medical.

She was actively concentrating on not hyperventilating when she finally arrived in the bay, smiling shyly as she entered.

 

[cheerio_cherry]

The sound of near silent footsteps had made her look up. A small smile came to her as she prepared the PADD and the stuff she'd need. She had a feeling that she would feel the woman coming and truth be told she had a little. All the same she kept herself steady, turning to greet the woman. "Come in Kestra."

The woman had been deliberately left for the last of the physicals. She had sent the request despite her anger at having to do it soon after she had regained her calm. She had pushed the emotions down, although she was sure Kestra could feel how calm she was and happy.

"There's a gown behind the screen."

She knew this would be tough but she'd given the woman the first hints of a smile, relaxed and perapred for what she'd be doing.