Trying to Make Amends

Posted on Sat Jun 4th, 2016 @ 1:33pm by Lieutenant JG Élan Val & Lieutenant Commander Daniel Divaro

1,634 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Into the Raptor's Shadow
Location: Daniel's Quarters/Elan's Quarters
Timeline: Current

ON:

It was early evening and Daniel had just returned from his usual inspection of engineering. It was Beta Shift which meant that Walker was in charge and he had found things to be just as they should be. Not that he had expected things to be any different. Walker was many things--loud, brassy, bold, a flirt, and even on occasion an exhibitionist--but she was NOT lazy or inattentive. Like him, she only expected one thing from the people they worked with--the very best.

If it had been two weeks ago he felt sure he knew what he would be doing right now. He would be having a drink or dinner with Elan, either in the lounge or one of their quarters. But he had not seen her now in almost two weeks. Not since the day in the lounge when he had told her that Velah was being assigned to the Hyperion when they arrived at Starrbase 171. He had told her almost as soon as he had found it out himself, not wanting her to be blindsided by it. He would have never done anything to hurt her and at this point he still wasn't sure why she had gotten so angry with him. But she had, even to the point of throwing her drink in his face then, after he had attempted to explain everything to her, storming out of the lounge. Since then, he had not seen nor heard from her other than hearing her voice on the ship's comm system a few times.

He had purposely stayed away from her quarters, not wanting to force anything. But this evening he had made up his mind. He had to know where they stood with each other, so he would go see her. He knew there were any number of ways she could react to his appearing at her door, but his hope was that they could sit down and talk so that he might find out what he had done to upset her.

So, mustering up every bit of courage that he had, he headed directly to her quarters. Once there, he rang the chime and waited to see what her reaction would be.

The sound of the door chime echoed through Élan’s quarters and caused her to stir. She had retired from work early, only to go home to her quarters to eat and zone out while reading over the sensor logs for the day. She had thought about giving Miko a call, but instead she had almost decided on getting a hot shower and crawling into bed. She was trying to think of who might be standing outside her quarters as she stood and walked over to the door. She was dressed in a soft furry robe that wasn’t the best thing to greet someone at the door in, but it was better than nothing at all. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Daniel Divaro standing there. She was so surprised, she froze.

When the door opened and revealed Elan dressed in nothing but her bathrobe, for a moment Daniel was stunned. Finally, finding his voice, he said almost in a whisper "Elan...can...can we talk?" He had missed her over the past two weeks but he hadn't realized just how much until right now. Just looking at her almost took his breath away. She had been angry and he guessed she had a right to be. He should have told her about Velah the first night they had met in the arboretum. The truth was, that Velah was so inconsequential to him now that he had simply not thought about her. His only connection with her now was their daughter and that's the way things would always be.

“What do you want?” Élan asked, trying to keep her voice in a civil tone.

"May I come in?"

“I guess we do need to talk. Come in,” Élan said as she stepped back and allowed Daniel to enter her quarters. She took a moment to step into her bedroom and change into something other than her bathrobe. She returned wearing her uniform pants and vest. Sitting down in an armchair, she raised an eyebrow towards Daniel.

While she was in her bedroom, he had seated himself on her sofa in hopes that she would join him when she came back. But she had not chosen to and he supposed there was nothing to be done about it except to press on with the reason he had come here--and that was to try to make amends for what had happened. So, with a deep breath, he started to speak.

"Elan, I owe you an apology..." he began. "I should have told you about Velah that first night we met in the arboretum. I guess the reason I didn't was because, to me, she's a non-issue. We have been divorced for over three years now and she's a part of my past that will remain forever IN my past. I have no feelings whatsoever for her. The only thing we share is a child and that's the only thing we ever WILL share. It matters not to me that she will be aboard this ship. She is simply another officer assigned to the Hyperion as far as I'm concerned. I will treat her with the same respect as I would treat another Starfleet officer...and nothing more. Any feelings--romantic or otherwise--were gone long ago. And I have a feeling that, once she's aboard if you ask her, you will get the same answer. There is nothing left between Velah and myself. I promise you that."

“You still should have told me before now. In fact, I think it’s somewhat important that someone you’re getting involved with should know that you have a teenage daughter sooner rather than later, and definitely not in the same conversation you inform that person that not only do you have a daughter but she and her mother will be living on this ship as well,” Élan said after a long, quiet moment. Her voice was somewhat broken with emotion, but she managed to keep it level and quiet. Inside, she could feel Val’s love and support through their link, and she managed to put her emotions back in check.

"What can I say?" he asked. "You're absolutely right. If you remember, the first night in the Arboretum I DID tell you that I was divorced. I should have told you about Sassi at the same time. I promise you that it was not done to deceive you or hide anything from you. I can't change what has already happened. But I CAN promise you this: Nothing like that will ever happen again. The captain had only just told me that they were coming aboard the night before and I told you the first opportunity I had."

“I think we need some time to adjust to this change. We’ve moved forward in our relationship perhaps a little too quickly, and I’m not sure how to take this,” Élan said quietly. She didn’t want to hurt Daniel, but at the same time she needed more time to adjust and think, and with the science department in a bit of disarray, she was more focused on her work than anything else at the moment.

"I see..." Daniel said quietly. "Then I guess there's nothing more that I can say."

“I’m sorry, Daniel, but I think that this is for the best. For both of us,” Élan said quietly.

"So is this goodbye for good?" he asked.

“I didn’t say that,” Élan said, shaking her head.

According to that, it appeared that she was not dumping him and that was a good sign as far as he was concerned. He looked at her for a moment before responding. "I know you didn't and I'm glad of it," he said slowly. "All I can add is that I realize I screwed up royally and I am truly sorry."

“One day I’ll be ready to fully forgive you but for right now, I think we both need some time and distance. I’m glad you understand,” Élan said as she nodded quietly.

"To be honest, Elan, I can't say that I understand everything," Daniel said. This had definitely not gone the way he had hoped and his heart was heavy, knowing that he had hurt her. "But I understand that you want time. I don't want to lose you and I will give you the time you need. All I ask is that you remember how much I care for you."

“I will, and I give you my word on that,” Élan said.

Daniel realized that the time he had been dreading for the last few minutes had arrived. It was time for him to leave. The problem was, he didn't WANT to leave because he honestly didn't know when he would see her again. Oh, he would probably see her around the ship. His wonder was when--or if--he would ever see her romantically again. But it wasn't his choice to make--it was hers, and she had made it. He stood up and looked at her for a long moment, wanting so much to just put his arms around her and hold her close. He knew, though, if he did, that would only make leaving her that much more painful. So with a heavy sigh, he turned and walked to the door. As it opened, he looked back at her. "Elan, I..." he began, then said quietly, "never mind..." And with that, he walked out the door and was gone...


Lieutenant Commander Daniel Divaro
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Hyperion

Lieutenant Élan Val
Science Officer
U.S.S. Hyperion

 

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