A shoulder to cry on

Posted on Saturday 11 May 2019 @ 21:11 by Lieutenant Ricardo Draxx & Captain Melody Jones

Mission: The New Collective
Location: Jones quarters
Timeline: Current after Melodys return and Bairstows death
696 words - 1.4 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

As the doors opened Draxx smiled at Melody. "Everything's done. She's watered, fed and in bed. I struggled a little with the homework but math …. well I think its your strong suit. Red ……" he stopped for a moment. She looked awful. Pale and drained. "You okay?"

Melody had been keeping a tight hold on her emotions while she had been on duty. She walked up to Draxx and practically melted into his arms. She buried her face on his shoulder and after a moment her body was wracked with sobs as she started to cry.

Draxx wasn't expecting this. Pre meeting Melody Jones any woman crying on him would have had him uncomfortable and running for the hills. But now it was all about trying to help make it better if he could. He held her tight and let her sob it out. When she seemed to be running out of steam he pulled back and suggested the only thing he could think of that could make it better ….. "Shall I open a bottle of my homebrew?" he asked.

She nodded as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "The Captain.... He's........ He's dead." She said flatly.

Draxx looked at her stunned. He walked towards the hedgehog enclosure, looking to see if the "spiny land fish" was present. "Here spiny spiny land fish," he tried in an attempt to get a laugh out of Melody.

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, but that was the most Draxx was getting.

He heroically managed to snag one of the bottle behind the cage, walked over to the replicator and ordered two glasses and poured two large measures. Placing them down in front of her he thought twice, pulled back one of the glasses and just slid the bottle over.

Melody picked up one of the glasses and tossed it back with no flicker of reaction. She then refilled her glass and waited for Draxx to sit down.

He sat down and looked at her concerned. "Steady red. Ok I know its serious. Really serious."

"What happened?" he asked trying to be calm.

"He was onboard the Borg ship when it exploded. They managed to beam me off a few moments before it happened. It could have very easily been the other way round, to both of us." Melody sat down on the sofa.

She looked at him and held out he hands and whispered "Can you just hold me..... please...."

Draxx nodded grabbing her hand and pulling her to the couch, they sat down and he pulled her close, his arm round her. "Melody," he said after a moment. "We could have lost you too," the thought pressed hard on him. He could be without her in his life right this minute and a single dad.

Melody tossed back the second glass and filled it once again. She pressed her body up close to his "I know the commanding officer has to maintain a level of..... professionalism so I've been keeping all this just locked up inside." She looked into his eyes. "If the worse were to happen, I know Sansa would be in good hands. All this just happened so suddenly..... And with the disappearance of Cale....". She raised her glass in a toast. "To absent friends."

Draxx clinked his glass to hers. "Absent friends. Hang on … wait Cale's disappeared. Are you in command now? Bloody hell red that's huge."

Melody tossed back another shot. "Tell me about it! He just up and vanished without a trace. Can we not talk shop tonight? Can it just be you.... and me...."

Draxx nodded and pulled the glass out of her hands. "I thought it was just you and me against the universe now. Well you, me and Sansa of course. Come on," he pulled his arm free and pulled her up off the couch after him.

"And they say romance is dead." Melody sighed as she followed Draxx to the bedroom.

TAG

OFF:

●●● Commander Melody Jones
Executive Officer
USS Merlin

●● Lieutenant JG Ricardo Draxx
Chief Science Officer
USS Merlin