When Two Worlds Collide

[Damien Coleman]

== closed subplot. Behave you two. You know who you are   ==

[Aeryn Miller]

== Sydesh/Okehampton Quarters - Deck 4 ==

With the exception of Mara, Aeryn didn’t usually stop by a member of her department’s quarters, unless there was a very good reason to do so. In this instance it was returning the sparring gloves that she had borrowed from Nat Okehampton, after the other woman had suggested that she try them out before replicating a pair of her own. True to her word they had proven to be quite effective and since they were still on shore leave and with Aeryn having nothing to do, the Chief thought it would be the perfect opportunity to return them, before their normal busy lives resumed on the ship.

Having showered following her session in the ship’s gym, Aeryn had braided her slightly damp hair so it wouldn’t bother her, before changing into a lilac fitted tank top and denim shorts, going for comfort especially after such a rigorous and well needed workout. There was nothing quite like taking out your frustration and stress via a punching bag, leaving the Lieutenant feeling refreshed and ready to take on her next challenge. The security officer had finished off her look with a pair of slip-on sneakers and as she approached the quarters that Nat shared with Beka Sydesh the only thing that she carried was the gloves in the small duffle bag that Nat had provided.

Coming to a stop and checking that she had the right destination, Aeryn then pressed the door chime and waited.

== Tag Beka ==

[Beka Sydesh]

Beka had gotten back to the ship from her sojourn out to DS9 a few hours ago. She’d pretty much sat on the couch, shrugged off her jacket, kicked off her boots, and then dozed off where she sat. There was no sign of Nat Okehampton but that wasn’t entirely a surprise. The Security officer was probably being romanced by her new beau Cam Reeve, the partners on the beat having hit it off and become partners in another sense within the space of a few weeks.

The door chime woke the redhead up with a start. She yawned and stretched, winced as her back twinged, and then eased herself up off the couch.

Absently she rubbed at the small of her back where the synaptic enhancer sat. Beka was still wearing the emerald green cami top and fitted black jeans from earlier, vivid tattoos on both arms and her ginger hair in a braided ponytail. She was barefoot, both sets of nails painted a soft mint green - the simple act of bending over for long enough to paint her toenails had drawn a string of pained curses against Graiark Orbital, herself, Star Fleet, Mara Calleja, the Syndicate and just about everything else.

Typical me. Cause myself unyielding agony because I’m too damn stubborn to admit defeat.

Padding across the carpet, she hit the button to open the door, and then did a double-take. Beka had really not been expecting to see a woman in a tank top and denim shorts, especially not one who looked like Aeryn Miller did. The two officers hadn’t met yet so the doctor had no idea who she was dealing with, although as she blinked a couple of times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating, she was pretty keen to find out.

“Uh, hello?” she managed.

[Aeryn Miller]

Standing a little straighter as the door to Nat’s shared quarters opened, Aeryn soon realised that she wasn’t looking at her friend but rather her roommate. The Security Chief had never met Beka Sydesh, but she had heard about the Doctor specifically from Mara and yet found herself smiling slightly upon seeing how the other woman had initially reacted to her.

Understandable, really considering that this was their first meeting, and Beka probably wasn’t expecting to see Nat’s boss dressed in a tank top and shorts.

As first meetings went, Aeryn could think of worse ways to meet someone and as Beka found her voice, Aeryn’s smile deepened into something warmer as she responded.

“ Hey Beka, I was wondering if Nat was in as I wanted to return the sparring gloves that she leant me” Aeryn replied, holding up the bag instinctively before lowering it, a little awkwardly.

== Tag ==

[Beka Sydesh]

“Nat has sparring gloves?” Beka looked genuinely surprised to hear that. “The only punch I’ve ever seen her throw was in the lounge when she tripped and dropped a glass of fruit cocktail.”

She quickly plastered a hand across her mouth and sighed. When that particular one-liner got back to Nat, her roommate was going to make Beka pay dearly.

“Sorry,” the redhead said, her hand dropping to her waist. “I tend to shoot from the lip when I’m caught by surprise. And you got me good, I must admit. It’s not every day I get someone as hot as you come knocking on my door. Even if you did want Nat.”

The warm smile on Beka’s lips easily reached her emerald-coloured eyes.

“Can I get you something to drink?” she offered. “Coffee? Soda? I don’t drink the hard stuff but I’m sure we can raid Nat’s stash.”

Her expression changed for a second as she suddenly remembered something.

“Sorry, look at me running my mouth. I’m Beka Sydesh. Part time doctor, part time embarrassment to all concerned. And it is an honour to meet you,” she said, managing to pull off a surprisingly effective curtsy for someone who was wearing jeans.

[Aeryn Miller]

Aeryn had to stifle a chuckle at the reference that Beka then made about Nat, knowing from first hand experience what it was like to spill a drink, and the way that the embarrassment burned just as much as the alcohol itself. Of course she had learned to brush it off or make some joke about it, before she decided to be diplomatic with her response. “ I won’t tell her” she replied with a wink as Beka realised what she had said. The apology and explanation that followed, was enough to almost catch Aeryn off guard, as it had been a long time since anyone had called her hot, let alone it coming from Nat’s roommate.

“ I guess it was fate then” Aeryn remarked, suddenly feeling a little more bolder than she usually would be, because Beka had succeeded in casting a sense of intrigue, a feeling that Aeryn hadn’t experienced since … well it didn’t matter as Beka then invited her in and offered her a drink.

“ A soda would be good, thanks”.

While she could have opted for something stronger, it didn’t feel right, at least not yet as Beka apologised for a second time and introduced herself properly complete with a curtsey. “ The honour is all mine, as it’s not every day that someone calls me hot and curtsies for me".

" I'm Aeryn" the Security Chief added, despite being a little flustered at the compliment that had been given.

[Beka Sydesh]

The name should have triggered some recognition with Beka, if not full fledged alarm bells. And it would have done if she had done anything with the couple of hundred unread messages in her inbox. In amongst them were the official congratulations and welcome aboard to the new Chief of Security Aeryn Miller. Nat hadn’t bothered to say anything to her roommate, because who could possibly miss the announcement of a COS on the Artemis of all ships?

“Aeryn? Love that,” Beka said, wandering over to the replicator. “Never met an Aeryn before. Couple of Erins, but they’re just not as… exotic.” She scooped a pair of glasses of Bajoran cola off the pad and came back.

“Please, sit,” the redhead said as she bent at the waist to lower the glasses to the table, green eyes never leaving her guest’s and a warm smile on her lips. She knew exactly how her top was cut and how it made the most of the generous gifts she had been given.

As she lowered herself onto the end of the couch, one leg folded underneath herself, Sydesh felt a distinctly unwelcome twinge from her ravaged back. Her expression glazed over for a second as she adjusted her position until it went away.

“Sorry,” she said breezily. “Where were we? Oh yeah. I was studiously trying to avoid giving away any of my tales of failure, whilst finding out more about you. What brings you to Artemis?”

[Aeryn Miller]

The lack of immediate recognition upon telling Beka her name was intriguing to Aeryn. Then again, with the size of the Artemis, it didn't come as a complete surprise that not everyone knew who she was. Aeryn thought of it as a positive, as this way she could get to know Beka, without the trappings that came with rank and position. After all, she was still a person, and it might be fun just to be herself until the subject of her being Nat's boss eventually came up. Even then, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

There was more to Aeryn than her rank, and when Beka complimented her name while fetching their drinks from the replicator, it brought out a smile from her fellow redhead. It wasn't often that Aeryn had someone comment on her name and how exotic it might seem, but for her, it was just her name.

" Thanks, but I'll let you in on a little secret. I didn't think it was that special until I found out why my parents had chosen it", Aeryn began to reveal. " I was named after their favourite character from an old Earth TV show called Farscape".

Aeryn didn't expect Beka to be aware of that particular show, but then something happened that made the security officer pause her train of thought. It wasn't Beka telling her to sit but rather the way the Doctor looked at her, as she put the glasses of cola onto the table. From this angle, as Aeryn sat down, it wasn't hard to notice certain things and that's when another thought entered her mind.

If Beka was trying to flirt with her, then Aeryn was out of practice as there hadn't been anyone since Merle. It wasn't as if she had never received attention from the opposite sex before, but interesting all the same, before Beka's demeanour changed ever so slightly. Naturally, Aeryn was concerned until Beka apologised and carried on the conversation as if nothing had happened. " It's okay, Mara told me about it and as to what brought me to Artemis.  A new start after losing someone very close to me".

== Tag Beka ==

[Beka Sydesh]

The Farscape reference went straight over Beka’s head. She was pretty well versed in the 20th century by 25th century standards - this was the girl who had gone to a ship-board Halloween party in a holographic Ghost Rider costume after all, and shared more than a few Lord of the Rings puns with Robin Mayfair in recent days - but the source of Aeryn’s name was a touch too obscure for her.

"It's okay, Mara told me about it and as to what brought me to Artemis. A new start after losing someone very close to me."

The two parts to that immediately started to roll around Beka’s head.

Mara told her about what happened? That can’t be right. Mara literally only told 1 person the truth and that was the COS, and Nat said she kept her word. She took the flak for us. So for Aeryn to know… Oh f*ck.

Realisation suddenly dawned. Beka chuckled quietly to herself, green eyes shining brightly.

“I’ve finally managed to put two and two together. Welcome to our humble abode, o Chief of Security,” the redhead said with a waspish grin. “My record with Artemis COS is still as checkered as ever. I had quite the misunderstanding with your predecessor and I may have… sort of… kinda threatened him with some secrets from his past. Luckily he’s the forgiving kind. And now here we are, me trying to flirt with his successor.” Her smile was just coy enough, her eyes just suggestive enough, to underscore her words as she laid out her intentions.

It had been a long time since Sydesh had tried to flirt her way into someone’s affections. Her near-boundless confidence meant she had been much more direct, but with her injury that confidence had ebbed away enough to change a lot of things.

“And if it’s a new start you want, then we can definitely help with that,” the doctor added. “Make some new memories that you can cherish just as much.”

She leant forward, tenderly reaching out a hand to take hold of one of Aeryn’s. If the other woman didn’t pull away, then Beka would gently run a thumb across her fingers, green eyes locked on Aeryn’s cool grey-green stare.

[Aeryn Miller]

There it was, the realisation that finally triggered Beka about who Aeryn was, thanks to her promise to Mara and what she had done to ensure that it never went further than it had to. Unless it affected their ability to perform their duties or was above Aeryn's pay grade, the COS always kept her promises, and nothing would change that aspect of who she was. Taking a sip of cola, Aeryn put down her glass and smiled as Beka spoke.

" Thank you" Aeryn replied with a wink, as Beka continued and mentioned her predecessor, whom Aeryn was fortunate to call a friend. Damian had been instrumental in helping her adjust to her new position, and even now she could call on her mentor whenever she needed it or when they often worked together. So it was certainly interesting to hear about his history with Beka, and she could see how Damian had forgiven her.

" He is and yes you are".

Aeryn's hunch about Beka flirting with her had been right, and yet she didn't feel embarrassed or the desire to make up an excuse to leave. Coming here to drop off Nat's boxing gloves was turning into something else, something that Aeryn hadn't even thought possible, as Beka's attempt went up a notch. Her words had Aeryn wondering about the possibility of making new memories, of finally letting go and experiencing new things. So when Beka tenderly took hold of her hand, Aeryn surprised herself by not pulling away, allowing the other woman to gently rub her thumb across her fingers as her piercing green eyes met Aeryn's.

" Maybe that's something we can discuss, as I'm open to that possibility".

[Beka Sydesh]

"Maybe that's something we can discuss, as I'm open to that possibility."

“Discuss?”

Beka’s lips turned up in a wry smile as she leant back. Maybe tonight wasn’t going the way she was hoping it would.

I was trying for some good old-fashioned hair-tie-on-the-door mischief. But she wants to… what… table this for later?

“I mean, if you’d rather I make an appointment so we can discuss the possibility of maybe getting up to something, I’ll get Nat to book it in your calendar,” the redhead teased gently. “But if you lose the moment, that little bit of spontaneous magic, you lose so much more than that.”

She tilted her head down and to the side, her eyes flicking up coquettishly.

“Which would be a real shame. Don’t you think?”

Beka left the question hanging in the air, hoping she’d misread Aeryn.

[Aeryn Miller]

The very second that Aeryn heard her own words repeated back to her, made her feel as though she was a complete idiot. Her internal monologue screamed at her naivety, confirming that she was out of practice regarding this kind of thing. While she had been honest and open to trying new experiences, and ending the self-enforced drought because she didn't want to go through losing someone again, she hadn't exactly got off to the greatest of starts.

So while Beka teased her gently, there was a small part of Aeryn that wanted to hide or, better yet, have the deck open up and swallow her whole. However, she decided to confront this head-on and use some of that Scottish bravado that had served her well when she needed it the most, even more so when Beka left an important question hanging between them.

" Yes it would be a shame, and you can probably tell that I'm out of practice with all of this" she admitted, with a slight Scottish lilt to her voice, a piece of her true heritage that had never quite left the redhead despite spending most of her life in space.

" It's also new to me".

There she had said it, thinking it was better to get that out of the way before anything potentially happened and so Beka didn't think she was a complete novice.

[Beka Sydesh]

As Aeryn spoke, Beka tried to place the accent, but it wasn’t one she recognised. It wasn’t unpleasant to listen to, far from it. The lilt seemed somehow… welcoming?

"It's also new to me," the Security chief admitted.

“Ah.” Sydesh smiled knowingly. Now she understood why the other redhead seemed so reticent. This had happened before - she was no stranger to being somebody’s first experience, whether that was their first time with a woman or even their first time with a human.

But that means there’s still a chance here…

“Don’t let me put you off. I have a horrible habit of running my mouth at the worst times,” Beka said, gently squeezing the hand she was still holding. “If you want to slow it down, we can do that. Whatever makes you happy. Me, I’m just happy you’re here. I don’t get to spend much time with gorgeous women any more.”

[Aeryn Miller]

It appeared as though Beka had known exactly what she had meant, judging by the response Aeryn received along with the knowing smile. That gave the Security Chief some comfort that she hadn't completely ruined her chances with the Doctor, despite the way she had initially come across. Although she couldn't beat herself up about it, because it wasn't as if she was lying about it being new to her, and while her experiences had primarily been with men, Aeryn wasn't exactly closed off to the possibility of experiencing things with the opposite gender.

Beka also seemed to get her, without the need for Aeryn to keep apologising or making a fool of herself. Even going so far as to tell her fellow redhead to not be put off just because she had a habit of running her mouth off. Beka's confession left an impression on Aeryn, who grinned slightly, feeling more comfortable in the medical officer's presence as she gently squeezed her hand.

That feeling only increased as Beka then offered up a solution that Aeryn immediately began to consider, before she was complimented again, and she had to admit that it was nice to hear it. " You haven't put me off Beka and yes I'd like to slow it down for now" she began. " Neither do I and as long as we're both happy, then that's the main thing".

The key to a successful relationship was both people being happy, and while she was content to take things slow and see where they went, there was a sense of excitement at the prospect of doing that, and spending more time with Beka.