First Steps ((Riley/Kent))

[Samantha_Kent 0]

The 'Tarnished Star' was probably the cleanest it had been since it was built, or at least since it was recreated holographically. The gas lights mounted to the walls were dimmed appropriately. The solid oak bar and the racks of liquor behind it were spotless. The gouged and pitted tables were neatly pushed to the walls of the pub with the exception of one that sat in front of the fire that was cheerily burning in the river stone fireplace. That one table was draped with a perfectly white tablecloth and was set with sterling silver utensils surrounding gold rimmed fine china. Brian stood in the center of the tavern, nervously making sure his button down hunters green silk shirt was unwrinkled and properly tucked into his black pants.

 

Sam's palms were sweating just slightly as she headed for the holodeck. She was more relaxed that she would have been a week ago in this situation, now that Malik was...well, informed. But Brian was still, at best, an uncertain pool she was diving into; she wasn't sure how much was understood between them or what was going to happen tonight on their first "official" date. She was wearing a subdued dark skirt and blue shirt, nothing fancy but not her usual civvies, another slight newness about this situation that didn't help to decrease her tension. She turned into the holodeck as the doors slid open and found Brian's "Tarnished Star" pub simulation waiting for her, albeit a bit different from when she had last seen it.

 

The lights were dimmed and the place was neatly arranged around a central table which shone with preparation, and Brian was standing near it looking outright nervous. Sam didn't blame him; her smile as she looked across at him was definitely a little bit awkward. "Hello, Brian," she said.

 

Brian looked toward the doors as he heard the distinctive hum of their opening mechanism. Samantha was for a moment backlit by the bright light of the corridor and he found himself a bit entranced by the sight of her as she walked in. He was pleasantly surprised to see her in skirt and thought that the ensemble complemented her figure perfectly. Realizing that he was staring a bit too long, he smiled

sheepishly and steped toward her. "Good evening, Samantha. Welcome back to my little hideaway."

 

She fought the urge to blush as he gazed at her, looking very handsome in his crisp dress shirt. He definitely cleaned up good, as the saying went, and she could tell that he had put some effort into preparing the simulation for tonight, which was definitely flattering. "Thanks...it's good to be back," she said, finally dragging her eyes away from his and looking around the room a bit more, stepping more closely towards him.

 

He offered his hand to her with what he hoped was a reasuring smile. "The staff is off tonight so it is just you and I and the fire."

 

There was only a moment's hesitation before she reached out and took it, feeling the warmth of his palm against hers, and returned his smile. "I guess that's all we need," she said, laughing softly.

 

Brian led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her to sit before settling into his own seat. He watched Samantha a moment before grining and looking down at his plate. "This may sound hard to believe, but I have never done this before."

 

Sam grinned back. "It...does sound hard to believe, but I will take your word for it," she said, then looked a little self-deprecating. "It's...been a while for me too." She looked across the table at him as she settled into her seat, unable to resist a certain amount of curiosity at how he had made it to this point in his life without having been on a date, but this hardly seemed the right point to bring that up. "So...what's on the menu?" she asked cheerfully, trying not to do anything to make this *more* nervewracking.

 

He sighed, realizing that he had expressed himself very poorly and shook his head once. "I meant I have never gone through this much trouble to try to impress someone." Brian stood and pulled a bottle of champagne out of an ice bucket, peeling off the foil top and working on the cork as he spoke. "When I was working on this last night, I realized how important you were to me." The cork popped off as he froze, realizing he had said a bit much in his nervous babble.

 

Sam caught the cork as it arced through the air and looked down for a moment. She was both flattered and a little embarrassed by his sudden effusion -- in some ways she didn't feel like she had done anything yet to deserve it, but on the other hand...it meant that maybe she could make this work after all. During their conversation with Malik earlier, he had seemed to assume this wouldn't happen before it had even begun, and that had stung a little bit, but here, perhaps because they were in private, he seemed more willing to admit that he wanted it.

 

And...what with the whole drama regarding Malik and her own uncertainty about the right course of action, she had been almost afraid to admit to herself the other aspect of this whole thing...she wanted to be important to him because she wanted to help him, respected him...and loved him. And so she couldn't help the feeling of warmth that surged through her at his words. "Thanks..." she said, looking up at him again and holding the cork out to him, her cheeks flushing slightly with sudden emotion.

 

Brian caught her gaze and felt his heart skip a beat. His hand touched hers as he took the cork and a smile spread across his face. "I should be thanking you." He poured the champagne carefuly and set the bottle back in the ice before taking his seat again. Reaching over to a side tray, he pulled the silver lids off of two small plates and bowls. "I didn't want to make this too elaborate so I just put together a salad and some seafood bisque for starters."

 

Sam watched the smile grow on his face, an expression she didn't always see there, and that all by itself felt like an accomplishment that made the evening worthwhile. Her own expression matched it as she watched the presentation of the food attentively. "Sounds delicious," she said, looking from him to the salad and bisque and back.

 

He set the plates in front of Samantha and then served himself. Picking up a spoon, he tasted the bisque and then stared at it a moment before looking across the table at her. "This is going to sound odd, but is this too formal for us?"

 

Sam chuckled softly at his sudden second-guessing. "Possibly. I mean...I still would have enjoyed myself with you if the place looked like it did the last time I was here, I'm sure." She paused, then added hurriedly with a grin, "Not that I don't appreciate all the trouble you went to -- it's very flattering."

 

Brian took a deep breath and tried to relax and enjoy the bisque. He hadn't felt this awkward around a woman in a very long time. It was

dificult, it was uncomfortable, and it was infinitely worth it. But should it be this hard? He looked over at her and decided that it didn't. She had seen him durring one of his darker moments and still she was here at this table with him. Supressing a laugh at his own timidity, he leaned back in his chair and studied at Samantha. "I suspect you have alot of questions about me and you really do deserve some answers."

 

Sam watched him as he glanced at her, wondering what was going through his mind; he seemed both more and less pensive than usual and as always was something of a puzzle to her. When he offered answers, she had to resist the temptation to jump at the opportunity; it wouldn't do to be too hasty about something that he had clearly avoided for years. "Whatever...whatever you'd like to tell," she instead said carefully, smiling and serving herself some of the bisque and taking a bite, noting absently that it was quite good. "I do want to know about you; it sounds like you've been through a lot."

 

He nodded slowly and looked away from her, gaining a distant look on his face. "I'm not really sure where to start. Maybe with my parents?" Picking up his flute of champagne, he emptied half of the thin glass and then slowly swirled the remaining contents as his thoughts drifted back and forth through random memories.

 

Sam nodded, leaning her elbows gently on the table as his expression turned pensive. "Sure," she said, wondering where his thoughts were leading him and how much of it he intended to let her in on easily.

 

"My mother, Autumn Bryant Riley, died when I was 12." Brian spoke matter of factly, like he was describing the color of a bulkhead. There was no discernable feeling or quaver of emotion in his voice. "I was with my father at Starfleet Academy at the time. My parents alternated assignments. They were committed to their careers and each other equally so one would take a three year stint somewhere on or near Earth while the other was off on an exploratory mission or starship assignment."

 

"It slowed down their career progression but they felt it was worth the sacrifice." He shook his head slowly. "My father came home from the Academy to tell me and then he locked himself in his room for three days. We had a funeral, but there was nothing to bury. The Admiral that came to the funeral said that she was killed in a lab explosion, but he was very vague."

 

Sam's eyes widened as the conversation took an abrupt turn for the very serious; she tried to imagine losing either parent at the age of twelve and the sensation was not a pleasant one -- she had not known her mother as well as her father but she knew that at that age losing either one would have been pretty devastating. And if Brian was starting here with his explanations it probably meant he felt his stories only went worse from here. "Prophets..." she muttered, looking at him with an expression full of sympathy. "That must have been

terrible..."

 

Brian nodded slightly and looked at Samantha. "You sure you want me to go on before the rest of dinner?"

 

Sam cracked a small smile at him. "I have many faults, Brian, but I am mostly accomplished at the art of listening and eating at once." She wasn't going to let him squirm out of this just to make her feel better -- this wasn't about her.

 

He sighed resignedly and took a bite of his salad. "My father tried to find out what really happened to her, using his connections and friends. Then one day some people came to our door and told him that if he wanted to keep his career in Starfleet and his freedom he should stop asking any more questions. So he stopped his inquiries and to this day we don't really know."

 

Sam chewed her bisque thoughtfully, not really noticing the taste of it, focusing more on the expression on Brian's face and the words he was speaking. She remembered the conversation she had had with Lieutenant Sema'J recently, his warnings that perhaps she was getting

in over her head; abruptly she wondered if she had the stamina for this. If this was only the beginning of Brian's stories...what if she couldn't do it, what if after all the craziness leading up to it, she still turned out to be no better than the people who had hurt him in the past? She shook her head gently to herself; it was hardly the time to worry about that yet...for now she could only see where this went. She looked at him, her brown eyes firmly fixed on his face, listening, and when he had finished speaking she let out a low sigh. "Jesus..."

she muttered. "That's...insane..."

 

"The Federation has it's skeletons in the closet, Samantha. There are some people inside the system who don't subscribe to the moral standards they teach in the Academy." Brian placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward, looking at her over the flickering candle. "I've heard rumors and stories when I was on the fringe. Jobs being sanctioned outside and inside Federation space by mysterious people who had all the connections and clearances needed to get by border patrols without question."

 

Sam nodded at him quickly; she was trying to tread a fine line here between being worried, even appalled, and appearing naive to him. He had experience in things she had never even dreamed of and in some ways as long as she had known him that had left her a little in awe of him. "So what do you think happened?" she asked cautiously.

 

"Mom was a scientist, an expert in transformative quantum physics. She was always in demand to consult on countless projects." He set his fork down and glanced at the cieling with a look of suspicion. "I have a couple theories, neither of which I can speak of on a Federation vessel without red lights going off and finding myself escorted to an isolation cell."

 

Sam opened her mouth as if to laugh but wasn't sure enough that he was exaggerating to actually let the sound out, and she glanced around at the walls of the pub around them. "That would tend to ruin an evening," she said in a vague attempt at humor, looking back at him after a few second's pause, her expression still sober enough to clearly show that she wasn't trying to make light of him.

 

Brian stared at Samantha a long moment and then smirked. "I am surprised I haven't already."

 

Sam saw the smirk appear on his face and felt a little more willing to let her own smile slide onto her lips. "Well, I asked, so it would be my own fault. But I don't ask questions when I don't want to know the answers." She paused, then chuckled softly and looked up at him, second-guessing herself again slightly. Just because it wasn't ruining the date for her didn't mean it might not be for him, and this *was* a

date, not a psychiatry session. "But I'm only half of this date and you're welcome to talk about something more pleasant for now, if you want. We've got plenty of time..."

 

He reached across the table and placed his hand on hers. "Its hard to pour out my whole life in one evening. Not only would it be emotionally trying, it would also take a lot longer than a few hours." A weak smile accompanied his lame attempt at lightening the atmosphere. "I plan on spending alot of time with you, Samantha. Hopefully most of it isn't filled with me dredging up memories."

 

Sam felt his hand close over hers and looked down at it for half a second almost as if surprised to see it there, before turning her fingers up to wrap gently around his. "I'm sure it won't be." She paused, looked down, then back at him, fighting a shy expression from making its way into her smile. "I mean...I'm not here because I just want to be your psychiatrist." Her mouth quirked, compressing the left

side of her face into a look somewhere between a grin and a wink, the first really relaxed expression she had made all night. She suddenly realized just how bloody seriously she was taking this; one way or another, some of her worries had recently been put to bed. She needed to recognize the happy elements of this as well as the difficult, or what the hell was the point of it all?

 

"I hope you are not here for just the food either." Brian gave her a genuine smile as he started to feel a little more relaxed. "Everyone needs someone who will listen, who you can share with." He realized that trying to force himself to be more open may not have been the best idea. It would take time to tell Samantha everything and it looked like he might have that time with her after all.

 

Sam's grin widened at the honest smile on his face. Just pulling that from him occasionally...that was worth it all. "No, not just for the food either," she said cheerfully. She could see him visibly relaxing and the sight loosened her own tension considerably. "And...I don't claim to always know the right answers, but I will always listen. And share." She paused, then squeezed his hand gently, looking straight at him, watching his face, hoping to the Prophets or whoever was listening that she could do this right after all.

 

Brian had a hard time tearing his gaze away from her. "Let's leave the answers for after dinner." He glanced over at the serving tray, then looked back at Samantha and smiled. "For now I am just happy with you."

Edited September 21, 2008 by Samantha_Kent

[Aliana Lucindak 0]

Awwww, that was so sweet I am tearing up ::sniff::. And the story about Riley's mom, wow, that was a blast from Aliana's past.

~Ali