Post 443: Hey There, Miss Ella

Stardate:70918.0720
Title: Hey There Miss Ella
Author: Ensign Xhian
Scene: Private Quarters
Time: Hours after the Alchemy docks

As usual, when Xhian isn't working or with Ella Briggs or his friend Benjamin Stratton, he's in his private quarters strumming his favorite, personally hand-crafted guitar and trying to collect his thoughts.

Even as the Independence crew is preparing to leave Earth for another voyage of space exploration and adventure, not to mention trying out their new "toy," the Alchemy Xhian still just sits in his quarters, letting his mind drift.

As he starts to play his guitar he starts to think about the trip he and Ella took together to Earth and the way they shared their memories with each other. He thought of the good times they had, but at the same time questioned if Ella had any real feelings for him at all, or was he just a buddy to hang out with?

He continues to think about how her hair swayed in the evening breezes like a river in the springtime. About the way that her eyes remind him of perfectly cut emeralds when he gazed into them.

As these thoughts run through his head, another thought forms, trying to overshadow them. *How could I ever hope that a lady like Ella might think of me as anything else but a friend?*

As Xhian continues to play he hears a voice at his door, asking to come in.

"Door's open, come on in, " Xhian answers. When he looks up at last, he sees both Stratton and Ella coming through the door together. Xhian put away his guitar and asked what was going on.

"Xhian, we need to talk about some things." Ella said softly. As she spoke, Stratton looked down at the floor and shook his head.

"Should I go?" he asked her, and she patted him on the arm.

"Thanks for coming along, Ben. I think I can handle it from here."

"Okay." Ben then nodded to Xhian. "Talk to you later, man." Then he mumbled, "If you're still alive."

Ella shot Stratton a look as he left.

As Xhian and Ella sat there alone, neither of them spoke, as if it was a stand-off of sorts. Then finally she broke the silence.

"Xhian I know you've been through a lot in your life, and I know because of this you show a lot of caution. Discretion about who you let get to know you," she paused. "But at the same time, I would like for you to open up to me- to trust me more. I want you to know that," she paused and took his hand. "I really do like you. But I would also like to know how you feel about me, too."

Xhian responded by getting up and going to his desk. He grabbed an artist's sketch pad and showed her the drawings he had done.

As he showed his works to her, he spoke softly.

"I really can't explain how I feel about you, because I really don't understand what I'm feeling, myself. In the morning you're the first thing I think of, and at night you're the last. When I'm on duty, I can't really think of anything else but you for the most part."

He shook his head in wonder. "Hell, I'm shocked I haven't screwed up anything in engineering yet, or at least I hope I haven't. I haven't even looked at the stats or studied the plans of the Alchemy's systems yet, and they have now been in my possession for four hours and twenty-seven minutes. Anyone can tell you that is extremely odd and not my usual behavior at all."

He took a step closer to her. "At the same time, it scares me, because I'm not sure how you feel about me, either." he concluded helplessly.

Ella's eyes were shining as she looked up at Xhian, and as she stood and approached him she reached out and took him into a loving embrace.

"I'm scared too," she confessed, and then she kissed him deeply.

Ensign Xhian
Engineering Officer
USS Independence NCC-90791