Megalodon City Penitentiary, Tundra, Standard Year 403 after founding

  Watching Dev’s retreating back for a minute, Alanna went back to her bed, curling up under the covers. She eyed the sink doubtfully before shaking her head. To turn on that faucet and drink the water was unthinkable. She could not overcome a lifetime of fear on Dev’s word alone. Which left her thirsty and entirely alone with nothing but her own thoughts for company. The words ‘I, Lieutenant Alanna Summers’ echoed in her head.

  Alanna closed her eyes, thinking of the cold, alien planet beneath her feet. Tom, James, Henry, Dev, had all told her the same thing: move on, survive. And James was waiting. But probably not forever. She looked up, listening to the faint sound of footsteps echoing down the hall. Someone had not bothered to remove their shoes. She got up slowly, and sat on one of the concrete benches, where she would be more visible. She looked up at the sound of a key in the lock, the tumbler dropping as the lock opened. James stood in his perfectly tailored uniform, outlined in the light of the hallway. The Tundran silver glint of his captain’s stripes was clearly visible on both sleeves. The enemy.

  “Hi.” He walked in, closing the cell door behind him and dropping the bag on one of the benches.

  “Hi.” She replied uncertainly. “What’s in the bag?”

  “Food.” James said with a slight smile.

  “You already brought food.” Alanna reminded him.

  “This is better food. I’ll make you grilled cheese sandwiches and I brought champagne.”

  “Does… does the cheese need to be grilled?” Alanna asked uncertainly. Tundran food was weird.

  “The bread, you grill the… well I’ll show you.” He took off his shoes and uniform jacket, sitting down to face her on top of the makeshift bed. Alanna looked back at him, wide green eyes as serious as ever. The bruising along the side of her face had improved slightly, which meant someone had given her medication. Without medication, it would have looked worse on the second day, not better. But the bruise was still there. James sighed. “Are you ok?” He asked.

  Alanna spread her hands, completely at a loss on how to respond. She hadn’t actually been ok in a very long time.

  “Uniform’s gone.” James tried. He had noticed the way she looked at the officers stripes on his sleeves earlier.

  “You’re still wearing the pants.” Alanna pointed out.

  “Do you want me to take them off?”

  Alanna shrugged uncertainly. She really wasn’t at all good at this.

  “Your hair is wet.” James said suddenly, reaching out to touch a strand.

  “I know.” Alanna nodded.

  “You washed it.”

  “Yes.” Alanna nodded again.

  James reached out again, touching her still damp hair with both hands before moving them down along her shoulders. “Do you want to sit closer?” He offered.

  Alanna nodded again, moving close enough that their shoulders touched. She studied his face in the dim light, her eyes as serious as before. “Now?” She asked.

  “Uh.” James paused, completely uncharacteristically at a loss for words. Her leg was bare next to his, he noticed. He was fairly certain that the sweater was all she was wearing. James took another breath, about to speak, and paused again. “How about a date?” He said finally.

  “A date?” Alanna said, doubt heavy in her voice.

  “Yes.”

  “Now?”

  “Sure. Since we’re both here.”

  “James what the hell?” Alanna said with some frustration, pulling back. “What are you even doing right now?”

  “I’m… I’m trying to do the right thing.”

  “You’re in a prison cell with a POW.”

  “No.” James shook his head. “That’s not… give me a minute. That’s not the date.”

  “No?”

  “No. It lacks ambience.”

  “It lacks ambience.”

  “Yes.”

  “All right. What is the ambience for this date.?”

  “Are we going on a date?”

  “You just said that’s what we’re doing.”

  “You have to agree to it.”

  “I have to agree to the date?”

  “I am quite certain that’s how this works.”

  “Do I have to volunteer for the date?”

  “No Alanna, you volunteer for military missions. Usually the really bad ones. For a date you just say ‘yes, that sounds great’.”

  Alanna stared at him for a long minute in the dim light of the single overhead lamp. “I have to know where we’re going on this date.” She said finally. “Before I can make an informed decision. You want me to make an informed decision, right?”

  “Sure.” James shifted slightly, pulling her bare legs over his. “That’s definitely what I want.”

  “So where are we going?”

  James considered his options. “Hiking.” He said finally.

  “Hiking?”

  “Yes. Because…” James waved his hand around the prison cell, encompassing the sleeping bags and the rest of the camping equipment he had brought earlier.

  “Because you already brought all the equipment.” Alanna supplied helpfully.

  “Yes. I’m very thoughtful.”

  “Are you going to carry all the equipment?”

  “Of course I am.” James replied immediately, sounding offended that she had even asked.

  “All the way up the uh… where are we going?”

  “So we are going?”

  “Well I don’t know if I’m a hiking on a first date kind of girl but…”

  “Since I already brought all the equipment.” James reminded her.

  “You’ve convinced me.”

  “Then I will carry all the equipment, all the way up the mountain.”

  “So there’s a mountain.”

  “Of course there’s a mountain Alanna. Otherwise what’s the point of the hike? As I was saying, I will carry all the equipment, all the way up the mountain. All you have to do is keep up. Until you’ve adjusted to the Tundran gravity.”

  “What’s at the top of the mountain?”

  “It’s a nice view. You can see the ocean. And at night you can see the stars. Sarayan humidity won’t let you see the night sky the way we see it here on Tundra. Atmosphere is crystal clear. You can see the entire edge of the milky way.”

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  “It sounds beautiful.” Alanna said, finally leaning her head against his shoulder.

  James smiled slightly, putting his arm around her and drawing her closer. “This seems like a good place to stop.” He whispered into her ear.

  “But I don’t see the stars.” Alanna murmured, looking up at the ever dimming bulb and the gray concrete ceiling over their heads.

  “Cloudy night.” James said, pulling her down until they were both lying down on the sleeping bag, staring up at the ceiling over their heads. “Might be a better view from this angle.” He added.

  “I don’t like games.” Alanna said, rising up on one elbow until she was looking down at him. She didn’t understand what James was doing. He could have had whatever he wanted, at any time. Hell, he could have had the guards hold her down if he didn’t want to be inconvenienced. And the game was making her uncomfortable. Her skin felt heated and over sensitized and the sweater she wore suddenly felt scratchy, as if every tiny little sensation was more intense than it should be. She touched the side of her face that wasn’t bruised, wondering if her skin was as hot as it felt.

  “This isn’t a game.” James said.

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s a date.”

  “Why don’t you just…”

  James just looked at her.

  “Fine.” Alanna lay back down at his side. “Fine. What are we doing next?”

  “Next.” James smiled over at her. “Next we have to light a fire. Obviously. Haven’t you ever been hiking before?”

  Alanna laughed. She couldn’t help it. It was the second time James had made her laugh, in spite of the realities of her situation. There’s a kind of magic to that, she thought as she watched him take out the propane burner he had brought earlier, and light it. He really was going to make a fire.

  “Dinner?” He asked, lying back down and turning towards her.

  “James I…” Alanna began, unsure how to politely say what she wanted to say.

  “What?”

  “I already volunteered.” She tried.

  James looked over at her in the dim light of the cell. “Let me get you a glass of champagne.” He said after a moment, getting back up. He pulled out one of the metal hiking mugs he had brought earlier, and filled it to the top before handing it over to her.

  “After I drink can we…” Alanna began.

  “Get it over with?” James finished for her.

  “I… that’s… not what I was going to say.”

  “Was it what you meant?”

  Alanna bit her lower lip, considering her next words very carefully. “The first time always hurts, right? So no matter how you look at it… just…” She shrugged, clearly having run out of words.

  “I actually don’t know.” James admitted after a moment. “That is… theoretically I’ve heard but… I don’t really know.”

  “You’ve never…”

  “Been someone’s first? No. Never.”

  Alanna gave him a look he couldn’t quite read.

  “I’ve done other things.” James offered.

  “Yeah I got that.”

  “Do you want dinner?”

  Alanna spread her hands in frustration. “James just do it.”

  James smiled slightly. “I’ve done some things.” He continued. “And I know some things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like I know that sometimes” he pulled her closer, until her body was pressed all the way against his, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes “it’s better to wait. There’s no rush. We have all night.”

  Alanna shifted against him, the uncomfortable feeling of her skin being too hot and too tight all over her body was getting worse. She didn’t want to wait. She wanted to get it over with. She wanted… she shifted her legs against his restlessly. “How long are you waiting?” She asked, trying to keep the tension out of her voice.

  “A while.” James answered. He used one of his fingers to trace a line lightly along her thigh, up towards her hip. “I’m not in any rush at all. Are you?”

  Alanna swallowed. “No.” She said firmly. Because she definitely wasn’t.

  “About dinner…”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Hmm.” James moved up to three fingers, tracing his way back down. “I thought you were. On account of all the starvation.”

  “I had… I had ration bars.” Alanna breathed.

  “No replacement for real food.” James pointed out.

  Alanna gritted her teeth, pushing his hand away as she sat up. She was feeling…. frustrated. Very frustrated.

  James raised an eyebrow, nothing but bemusement in his eyes. “What?” He asked.

  “You’re still wearing your uniform.” Alanna said, crossing her arms.

  James paused momentarily. “You mean the pants?” He asked.

  “Tundran uniform pants.”

  “But we’re hiking.” He said mildly. “I usually have pants for that.”

  “Yeah well, it’s just us up on the mountain, right?”

  “Sure. Fair point.”

  “So?”

  James smiled just a little bit wider. “No uniform.” He agreed. “Just like I promised.” He watched her watch him take off the pants, holding her gaze for a long moment before lying back down, pulling her back against his body. “Well this won’t do.” He murmured into her ear, his hands stroking her arms through the thick sweater. “Since we’re all alone up here, you don’t need the sweater, do you?”

  “But it’s cold.” Alanna whispered.

  “Did you know… well you’re from someplace warm so maybe you didn’t, but actually skin to skin is the best way to keep warm.”

  “You made that up.” Alanna shook her head in denial.

  “Swear to god. Completely true. If you’re ever caught out in a storm, you’re supposed to get into the tent, combine sleeping bags and lie skin to skin, just as close” he pulled her a little closer “as you can possibly get. Maximizes your chances of survival.”

  “It’s not that cold here.” Alanna pointed out.

  “Yes but just look at the sky.” James gestured towards the gray concrete ceiling. “Storm coming. Looks like a bad one.” He added smugly.

  “Seriously?” Alanna hissed.

  “Dead serious.” James nodded earnestly.

  Alanna lay in his arms, the naked skin of their legs now touching completely. James continued to hold her, but made no move to take off the sweater. “You’re going to make me do it?” She said finally into the silence.

  “I’m not making you do anything. I’m just pointing out that the storm is coming.”

  He didn’t touch her bare leg this time, his hands staying firmly over the fabric of the sweater as he stroked her arms, all the way down her hip, stopping just before they hit any bare skin. Alanna shifted against him, feeling restless. Was it even possible that she would be warmer without the sweater? That was obviously made up.

  “Look!” James said suddenly, pointing towards one corner of the cell.

  “What?” Alanna asked, sitting up as she pulled the sleeping bag over her chest protectively.

  “Penguin.” James said with a grin.

  “Oh. You mean the penguin that lives on top of the mountain.” Alanna said. And then she started laughing. James made her laugh again. She really couldn’t understand how he managed to do that.

  “Of course. Sometimes they’re attracted to fire. Especially with a storm coming.” James added pointedly.

  “Is it coming this way?” Alanna whispered, green eyes sparkling with laughter as she looked at him.

  “Coming right for us.”

  “You take it off.” She said, sitting back down next to him.

  And just for a moment, something that was neither relaxed or laughter stirred in James’s icy gray eyes. “All right.” He agreed, pulling her closer and pulling the sweater over her head.

  “Now?” Alanna asked somewhat breathlessly, lying back down.

  James shook his head, pulling her completely naked body against him. “No rush.” He whispered, letting his hands roam from the side of her breast all the way down her thighs.

  And that was all he did. A few minutes later, Alanna dug her fingernails into the side of his arm in frustration. “Tell me what do next.” She said. And waited. For a long moment, his hands stopped touching her entirely, leaving her practically seething with frustration. Only this time, James listened. She wasn’t quite sure how it happened, only that it happened very, very fast. Suddenly, she was sitting across his thighs, facing him as his hands caged the sides of her face and pulled her closer.

  “Wait.” Alanna said suddenly, pushing against his chest.

  James stopped. “What?” He asked.

  “I don’t…” Alanna swallowed nervously. “I don’t know how.” She admitted.

  “We’re just kissing.” James pointed out, trying to hold on to his patience, which was getting somewhat strained by then.

  “I know but… I don’t know how.” Alanna repeated.

  “You don’t know how to kiss?”

  She shook her head, green eyes very wide and earnest as she looked back at him.

  “What the hell happened to you?” James asked before he could quite stop himself.

  “Not now.” Alanna said. “Now would not be the time. Just… just know that I don’t know how.”

  “Noted.” James said, a certain amount of tension creeping into his voice.

  And then he kissed her, and none of it seemed to matter. Much later, it occurred to Alanna that she probably didn’t need to overshare. Probably. No way to know for sure. Maybe it was obvious she didn’t know what she was doing? “Are we still waiting?” She asked breathlessly as her arms wrapped around him.

  She wasn’t sure how much longer it was, before James lay her down on top of the sleeping bag and his body covered hers. The position left her completely trapped, helpless. But it didn’t seem to matter by then.

  ---

  Alanna stared at the gray concrete wall in front of her face. James lay on the outside of their makeshift bed, leaving her between him and the wall. It was the better defended position, leaving him between her and any danger that might come through the door. She assumed he did it automatically, without ever thinking about the implications. Of course, if James was the danger, then she was trapped. But he wasn’t. Not exactly. And he was still there. He hadn’t left. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.

  “Did it hurt?” James asked, stroking the side of her arm lightly.

  “I… I’m not sure.” Alanna said.

  James frowned, a certain edge of annoyance creeping into his voice. “How can you not be sure?”

  “It… it was nothing that was relevant.” Alanna said. Because that was the truth.

  “Did you like it?” James asked.

  Of course he would ask that, Alanna thought regretfully.

  “Did you not?”

  Alanna sighed, feeling guilt and confusion piling on top of her already existing giant pile of guilt and confusion. Because James sounded genuinely concerned. Dammit all to hell.

  James turned her around, framing her face with his hands and turning her towards him until she had no choice but to look him in the eye. Which was the last thing Alanna wanted to do.

  “Ah.” James said, releasing her face and finally letting her avoid his gaze.

  “What?”

  “You liked it but you didn’t want to.” He said the words for her.

  “You win, James. You definitely win.”

  “Didn’t we both win?”

  Alanna turned away, looking back at the wall across from her nose. “I hate myself quite a bit just now.”

  James sighed. This was always going to be complicated, he reminded himself. And he made the decision to do it anyway. It was a decision he wasn’t ready to regret. He got Alanna the sweater without being asked, helping her put it back on. She didn’t fight him. James smiled slightly when she leaned into his hands. And when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, Alanna didn’t fight him.

  “I know this place seems alien.” James said, pulling the top sleeping bag up over both of them, making sure she was warm. “It's a different planet, after all. But this will be your home, Alanna. You have a place here. And forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but Saraya didn’t seem all that great for you. Even before they left you stranded to starve to death, which we both know they did. I’ve seen the numbers. I know how many rations you had left. You would not have survived the year. And what happened before, what you refuse to talk about? Saraya wasn’t a good place for you. This will be better. This will be your home. And I’m going to help you.”