River of Trust

[Erich Jaenke 0]

Erich kept his head down, cloaked within his arms, as all of the worry, anger, and emotion poured out. He recalled stories of how emotional Betazoids could get just as stoic Vulcans can be. His mind tried to push his emotions out with the tears. His embarrassment was real, but drowned out as he sobbed uncontrollably.

 

Unsure what to do, Keb rubbed Erich’s shoulders, biting her lip and willing everything to be okay. Maybe I shouldn’t have said I was mad at him for not trusting me, she couldn’t help thinking, even if it was true, even if it was coming between us. She tried to control her own emotions and thoughts, but she didn’t yet have the training she’d need to keep from affecting him with every turn of her train of thought.

 

CLAP!

 

With no warning it started...to rain? No...storm. The room had darkened and the drops pelted them with no mercy. Lightning, followed by a familiar rolling thunder echoed in the distance. Erich sat on the ground with his arms around his knees, crying here too. He rocked back and forth as the rain fell like tears.

 

Keb was so focused on him and on her own thoughts that at first she didn’t even notice how he’d drawn her into his dream world. But suddenly she looked down and her hands were no longer on his shoulders; she was standing, apart from him, as the rain formed into a river between them. “Erich?” she called over the roar of the water. “What--what are you doing?”

 

He waved his arm the the river flowed stronger. "I'm damaged goods Keb. I can't handle all of this. I failed to trust you! I failed. I failed." He voice trailed off as a wave of downpour passed over each of them. "How can you trust me...how can I trust myself? You were right..." He bowed his head into his knees.

 

Keb knelt down at the river’s edge and tested it; it was deep and flowing fast, but she thought she could swim across if she had to. They were in Erich’s thoughts somehow, though, so he surely had control. “Why are you pushing me away? I’m as broken as you are.”

 

"I'm-" he said as his voice shook. "Not. You're not broken, Keb. There’s something you don’t know. Another woman. I lost focus." He peered over his arm at her as he lifted his head. "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry. I don't even know who she was, just some crew member. She-" He broke off, so many recent emotions were raining down on him. And now her as well. Even an inkling of what he was thinking could enter her mind as a full blown experience. A vision of the woman loomed up beside him, standing there opposite Keb across the river. Keb stared at her bright red hair and adorable features, though the woman stood motionless.

 

Keb’s own confusion seemed to stir the waters of the river like a whirlpool. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her shaking voice, or thoughts, crystal clear even over the sounds of the rain and the wild river.

 

"I let my mind wander and accidentally entered this person's consciousness, without their knowledge." Erich looked more worried now that he opened this up, but in reality could not stop his thoughts. Not with this level of connection between them. "Crew said I was acting strangely... I think she did not know what was going on. Believe me when I say it was accidental and she means nothing. I'm so sorry." The water, while still coming down, had slowed down to a steady rainfall. Erich slowly stood up. His body spoke volumes of guilt. He'd tried to hide this from her, but here he could not.

 

Keb stood, too, and the image of the woman started to fade. Her own body was soaked, and somehow Erich’s imagination had clothed her in a thin dress that went translucent with the water. She remained unembarrassed, though, trying to sort through her own feelings of jealousy and betrayal--and yet the way he looked at her, his normally loving, dark eyes plagued with the fear that she’d not forgive him, pulled at Keb’s heart. She needed his trust--but he also needed hers.

 

“You’re still having trouble controlling your abilities,” she said, not a question but a statement. She stepped toward him, right into the river, which had quieted only a little. “Just like I’m still struggling with my anxieties. We’re both broken. We promised to help each other.” She took another step. The water went to her knees, but her eyes were focused on his. “I need your trust, Erich, but I need you, too. I’m not going to let you just push me away.”

 

Erich entered the water a moment later, reaching out to her. The river flowed past them both. He pressed forward against the current to get even closer. She moved toward him, steadily, not allowing the current to sway her. She seized his hand the moment she could, gripping tightly. Something shifted as he accepted her hand; the river, the rain, and everything vanished, and Keb opened her eyes to find themselves both on her bed. "Keb," he said confused as to how they got there. "Help me, please."

 

Keb bit her lip, still a bit startled by the shift from his mind to the real world. “I promised I would, didn’t I? And when have I ever not kept a promise?”