Chantal & Robert.
Robert's idea of what's OK had loosened somewhat. The period on the Aurora had seemed like a good opportunity to spend time with Chantal, to see where the relationship would go. He had set his head to an ironic angle and raised one eyebrow when the assignments to ship quarters had placed the G-2 team about as far apart from each other as they could get. A little thing like that wasn't going to stop him, and Chantal seemed to be letting him take the lead for once. "It's important to not let this turn into a habit while we're undercover, though," he warned her, "as it would make the team easier to spot." He knew he'd taken a left turn somewhere back on St. Martin's and wasn't as sure of himself as he once was. He didn't want to think about how far the other way he'd go if there was a disaster as a result of this relationship.
Chantal wasn't all that certain of herself either. She didn't give just lip-service to the beliefs she tossed at him back on the beach. Having let Robert well into her life, she was willing to find out just how much she was capable of giving and sharing with him. But there were moments, however, that she found frightening, when she thought about having to explain to her father. More than she had bargained on. [Will: Heh. Telling Daddy is going to be sooooo fun.]
They'd had two weeks to be young lovers. What couple hasn't given in to that sense of exhilaration for at least a little while?
Chantal, for once, was free of the fear that someone might recognize her and report back to her father, which would give him a one-up on tracing Robert. Robert, having a natural secretive bent, proved to be as discreet as possible, just out of habit. It was entirely possible that the rest of the team did not even know the two were "together."
Neither wanted to "play the role" of young lovers. Both of them were too practised in playing roles; that was partly how the conversation on the beach had started. It would be too easy to put on "Melissa and Michael, young lovers" and then find the role getting in the way of exploring the real relationship. Both were hyper-aware of "falling into a role" and in some ways found themselves testing themselves and each other for "what's real." The physical was real, but both seemed to be hunting for other, mental and emotional, touchstones for reality.
[Scenes Missing:
The first discussion they had after ... well, you know.
The interaction(s) in the space station.]
Then there came the mission where Robert smothered a hand grenade....
Chantal was pale and shaken when the airlock opened and she saw Robert in his damaged suit. It was a clear indication of what risk he had taken. Quickly, he described what had happened. She couldn't help thinking, "Was there no other way?" But her first action, once they were alone, was to simply hug him, long and hard. She wasn't a good actor. Emotions this raw were hard to hide and they chased quickly one after another: 'Thank god!', 'does life mean so little?', 'how brave he is!', 'what if...' and a shudder of fear. Then she squared her shoulders, thinking to herself, 'Well, this is the life I agreed to.'
Robert responded to the hug with, "I didn't have any time to think. I knew those parts were the most important part of the mission...." He paused, "I never had anything else to think about before."
Chantal was still for a moment, slightly stunned. In some wonder she said, "Then ... it does matter to you?" She stumbled a little in forming the next sentence. "You - we - we agreed not to let - "us" get in zhe way of - zhe johb. I - oh, Rohber..." and she hugged him again.
[Possible plot-related scenarios:
The first time another team member decides "we" are a topic of discussion.
When Odd Jobs splits Chantal and Robert up operationally or gives one of them the boot.
When Daddy-dearest figures out what's going on. .]
"Reaction" copyright 1997 W.Clark & S.Knowles. The contents of this site are copyright 2004 Sheryl A. Knowles unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.