Lieutenant JG Mercedes Carpenter Assistant Medical Officer USS Chimera NCC 96899 = Mercedes’ Quarters “No! Don’t you hang up on...” but it was too late. The image of Mercedes’ father was replaced by familiar rotating UFP symbol. Her lip trembled slightly, but whether it was from hurt or anger was unclear. The medical doctor had tried for the first time in a year to make contact with her parents, but as usual, it was unsuccessful. The only words her father had for her was, “You are no longer my daughter.” Why he hated her and Starfleet so much she’d probably never know. No communiqués she’d sent home ever got read, and it had been that way since she graduated from the Academy. At least while she was in training, she and her mother had managed to sneak away to see each other, but now that she was in deep space on a starship there was no such chance. Even though her family had basically disowned her, Mercedes still cared deeply for them. She felt angry at herself for caring about the people who had hurt her the most in her life. A few tears of anger rolled down her cheek, but she brushed them away quickly. She wondered about her mother, how she was doing; not even her aunt who lived close by on Luna Colony knew anything. Mercedes’ father had cut immediate family off from any other relatives. She sat down at her desk and pulled out a tissue from the tissue box to wipe her eyes with and blow her nose. Three framed holographs stood on her desk; one was a picture of herself at her Academy graduation, another was a picture of Jack (her childhood best friend), and the third was a picture of her mother before she met Mercedes’ father. The dark haired girl sometimes thought her mother’s life would have been immeasurably more fulfilling if she’d never met that horrible man. Mercedes was startled when her door chime rang. Rolling her eyes at herself, she realised she’d forgotten about her dinner date with Scott. She was still in her uniform, her hair was a mess and her eyes were puffy from crying. “Who is it?” she asked at the door, thinking that perhaps it wasn’t Scott yet. “It’s Scott,” came the reply. “Can I come in?” Mercedes took a deep breath to steady herself and opened the door. As it opened, she saw Scott neatly dressed in a smart shirt. He produced a bouquet of wildflowers from behind his back and handed it to her, but as he did he saw she’d been crying and his smile faded. “What’s the matter, Mercedes?” She walked back inside and he followed her. The door closed behind him and he placed the bouquet on a small end table that stood by the door. “I’m sorry I’m not ready yet,” she began explaining, sitting down on the couch. “I made a call to my parents and... well, it wasn’t very successful. He ended the call as soon as he saw it was me.” “You don’t have to apologise,” Scott replied, sitting down next to her and placing a comforting hand on her arm. Mercedes looked at him as he sat there next to her. It had been a long time since she’d felt so close to someone. She’d lost contact with most of her friends after she left the Academy, and had to make new ones wherever she was commissioned. Scott was different, though. There was more than just friendship between them, and she knew he felt it too. Suddenly, unable to help herself, more tears began to roll down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away with her hands, but there were too many. Scott instinctively reached out to her and pulled close to him in a huge. “I’m sorry,” she whispered into his shoulder, and after a few moments the tears subsided. When she pulled back, their faces were close together, and she could clearly smell his aftershave. “You smell nice,” she said, smiling slightly. “Thank you,” Scott replied. He looked into her eyes and lifted up her chin with his finger. He leaned in closer and then their lips met. As he kissed her, Scott felt Mercedes smile and he pulled back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. It was inappropriate.” “I wouldn’t be smiling if it was,” Mercedes replied, taking his hand in hers. There was a moment of silence between them, and she could tell Scott was feeling a little uncomfortable. “Thank you for being here.” “I... I’m not even sure I should be here. You’re upset, maybe you want to be alone?” “No, I don’t want to be alone,” she said, gripping his hand tighter before he could stand up. “Please... stay a while longer.” Scott nodded and relaxed against the couch then. He put his arms around Mercedes’ shoulders and she rested her head on his chest. “You remind me of home,” she said. “But without the bad memories.” = -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.5 - Release Date: 2005/02/03