Second Chances
Oct 31, 2016 0:58:05 GMT -5
Lt Cmdr Billie Jo Spencer MD and Lt Cmdr Therese Xylvarenn like this
Post by Lieutenant Tolar Demor on Oct 31, 2016 0:58:05 GMT -5
After thirty-three hours of work, it was time for Tolar to get some well-deserved rest... but he couldn't get his earlier conversation with Jonathan out of his mind.
"I've been given a second chance."
Seeing Doctor Stratman laying there in the morgue had done a number on him emotionally. Far more than he'd expected, given that he barely knew the man. Perhaps it wasn't who it was, but what it represented. The fragility of life, how easily it could be taken away by nefarious hands. He'd known it all too well from an early age, too well, but this unwelcome reminder brought those unpleasant memories right back to the surface. His hand instinctively brushed the scar on his cheek, a physical reminder of the day his world was changed forever.
Slipping out of his uniform jacket, he walked into the bathroom and ran cold water in the sink. Looking up into his reflection, he examined his weary face closely. Was he really living? Or just surviving? For so long, he'd buried himself in Starfleet service. They were the only organization lawfully and realistically capable of snuffing out the True Way. Those irredeemable, corrupt, maniacal fools that took that poor little boy's mătzka away from him. Revenge had driven him, and driven a wedge between him and every relationship he'd ever had. He hasn't been on speaking terms with his father for the better part of a decade. Now? The True Way is no more. What does he have to show for it? No loving home to go back to, just a house with nostalgic memories attached to it. A uniform, a bed, and one friend he isn't even that close to anymore, after years of separation. The only person in the universe that had shown him true understanding was lightyears away, on some temporary assignment with questionable longevity.
Grimacing, he began to brush his teeth. At least lightyears away is relatively close compared to how far apart they'd been recently. It wasn't so long ago that that man was on another plane entirely, his body clinically dead, preserved in stasis for weeks. During that time, Tolar felt so lost. His relationship with Tiberius, brief though it was, had been so full of hope and promise, one of the few genuinely bright spots in his life. It meant a lot to him, having someone go out of their way to care for him and love him, despite knowing his deepest flaws and secrets. To have that snatched away was devastating, but to have it given back? Those forces beyond reason and perception, those divine machinations he'd begrudged so long for taking his mother away, seemed to take pity on him for a change. Nature broke its own rules to give him another chance at happiness.
"We couldn't make the distance work."
Rinsing his mouth out with water, he pondered their future together. Tolar knew that he had no right to try and keep Tiberius from pursuing his career aspirations, even if they took him elsewhere. After all, they'd only been together for a short time, however blissful and memorable it may have been. Now, after everything that had happened, he wasn't so sure he was content to let distance stand between them. Perhaps it was simply being clingy, perhaps it was some sort of noble protectiveness, but as someone who fought his whole life, he wasn't about to let Tiberius slip away from him again.
He spit the foamy mixture of toothpaste and water into the sink, then went to his bedroom. Sitting on the edge of his neatly kept bed, he unfastened his belt and slipped out of his shoes, shimmying out of his pants. Pulling the covers down, he slid under them, getting comfortable. Taking a PADD from the nightstand, he interfaced with his personal systems and opened the latest message from Tiberius. He was a day behind in his communications, thanks to the Sentinel's nightmare of a mission to Ardana III. Hopefully, he wasn't too worried...
"I've been given a second chance."
Seeing Doctor Stratman laying there in the morgue had done a number on him emotionally. Far more than he'd expected, given that he barely knew the man. Perhaps it wasn't who it was, but what it represented. The fragility of life, how easily it could be taken away by nefarious hands. He'd known it all too well from an early age, too well, but this unwelcome reminder brought those unpleasant memories right back to the surface. His hand instinctively brushed the scar on his cheek, a physical reminder of the day his world was changed forever.
Slipping out of his uniform jacket, he walked into the bathroom and ran cold water in the sink. Looking up into his reflection, he examined his weary face closely. Was he really living? Or just surviving? For so long, he'd buried himself in Starfleet service. They were the only organization lawfully and realistically capable of snuffing out the True Way. Those irredeemable, corrupt, maniacal fools that took that poor little boy's mătzka away from him. Revenge had driven him, and driven a wedge between him and every relationship he'd ever had. He hasn't been on speaking terms with his father for the better part of a decade. Now? The True Way is no more. What does he have to show for it? No loving home to go back to, just a house with nostalgic memories attached to it. A uniform, a bed, and one friend he isn't even that close to anymore, after years of separation. The only person in the universe that had shown him true understanding was lightyears away, on some temporary assignment with questionable longevity.
Grimacing, he began to brush his teeth. At least lightyears away is relatively close compared to how far apart they'd been recently. It wasn't so long ago that that man was on another plane entirely, his body clinically dead, preserved in stasis for weeks. During that time, Tolar felt so lost. His relationship with Tiberius, brief though it was, had been so full of hope and promise, one of the few genuinely bright spots in his life. It meant a lot to him, having someone go out of their way to care for him and love him, despite knowing his deepest flaws and secrets. To have that snatched away was devastating, but to have it given back? Those forces beyond reason and perception, those divine machinations he'd begrudged so long for taking his mother away, seemed to take pity on him for a change. Nature broke its own rules to give him another chance at happiness.
"We couldn't make the distance work."
Rinsing his mouth out with water, he pondered their future together. Tolar knew that he had no right to try and keep Tiberius from pursuing his career aspirations, even if they took him elsewhere. After all, they'd only been together for a short time, however blissful and memorable it may have been. Now, after everything that had happened, he wasn't so sure he was content to let distance stand between them. Perhaps it was simply being clingy, perhaps it was some sort of noble protectiveness, but as someone who fought his whole life, he wasn't about to let Tiberius slip away from him again.
He spit the foamy mixture of toothpaste and water into the sink, then went to his bedroom. Sitting on the edge of his neatly kept bed, he unfastened his belt and slipped out of his shoes, shimmying out of his pants. Pulling the covers down, he slid under them, getting comfortable. Taking a PADD from the nightstand, he interfaced with his personal systems and opened the latest message from Tiberius. He was a day behind in his communications, thanks to the Sentinel's nightmare of a mission to Ardana III. Hopefully, he wasn't too worried...