All Things Inherit – Eight – DizzyDrea

After dinner, Martin and Gallatin took their leave, and Chris and Len retreated to the living room, where they settled on the couch in front of a roaring fire. It was nice, and not something Len had much experience with, having grown up in Atlanta. Most houses had fireplaces, but they were mostly there for show because the climate was warmer, so the need for extra heating was lower.

“You haven’t said much since Remy and Hugo left,” Len observed, looking Chris over critically.

His stress levels had gone up, likely because of what he perceived as his best defense—another Sentinel to back him up—walking out the door. The invasion of his territory, even though they’d let the rogue Sentinel in for a conversation, had been hard on Chris. She wished she could do something to help him, but she was limited in what she could do while they remained unbonded.

“I’m just thinking over what they told us,” Chris said. “Most of it I’d figured out myself, though finding out that I’m essentially in control of how powerful my senses are was a trip.”

“It’s not something we discuss with mundanes,” Len said. “Imagine if they knew that the only limitation on a Sentinel’s abilities was their own willingness to embrace those abilities. It’d be chaos, and the mundanes would try to exert even more control over us than they already have.”

“Which isn’t much,” Chris said. “I’ve read through the Federation charter many times, so I’ve seen all the rights and protections built into it, for a variety of groups. I feel better knowing I’m protected by the law, but the law is only as good as the people willing to uphold it.”

“True,” Len said. “And discrimination is still a thing, because humans are humans, no matter where in the galaxy we are.”

“Which means, whatever my next posting will be, we’ll have to work extra hard to weed out anyone who might be bringing bigotry into the equation,” Chris said. “Thought I’d like to think no one on Enterprise’s crew would have that sort of thing lurking in their past. I vetted those people six ways to Sunday because I’ve had several people on my command staff who have or could have faced bigotry in the past.”

“It would be stupid to take a crew out on first contact missions with that sort of thing a possibility,” Len said. “One wrong word, an eyebrow raised, or even a hand gesture has the potential to put the landing party’s lives at risk.”

“You seem to know a lot about something you never planned on doing,” Chris said.

She could feel his amusement and curiosity. “I signed up with Starfleet. Duty aboard ship is strictly voluntary, and most people do volunteer. Not serving aboard a ship wasn’t a condition of my contract, but Starfleet also needed my expertise on Earth rather than the stars, so I’ve stayed home. I have been on several missions over the years, so I’ve been aboard a ship, but only for a few weeks at most.”

“So, you wouldn’t be opposed if I asked Starfleet to assign you as my CMO?”

“If we’re bonded, I wouldn’t have a problem with that at all,” she said. “If we choose not to bond, I’d ask you respectfully to find someone else. Doctor Mbenga comes to mind.”

“He was my CMO back in the day,” Chris said. “He’s currently serving aboard the Farragut, but I’m sure he would come back if I asked. I might ask him to return anyway, if we get the five-year mission.”

“Any reason why I’d be saddled with an arguably brilliant backseat driver?” Len asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Well, unless you have some intimate knowledge of Vulcan physiology that I’m not aware of, I’d bring him onboard strictly for the benefit of Commander Spock,” Chris said. “He’ll be my choice as first officer, so I’d want to have a doctor on staff who knows his unique physiology.”

“I can’t say I have any, and frankly, I’d appreciate the backup,” she said. “Doesn’t mean I can’t learn, of course, but it would still be to the Commander’s benefit to have a doctor on staff that he’s comfortable with.”

“Does it bother you, his telepathic abilities?” he asked.

“Not in the least,” she said, shaking her head. “His telepathy is largely touch-based, and my abilities are empathic in nature. So, where he could read thoughts or share memories if he’s in contact with someone, I can read their emotional landscape, but not their specific thoughts. Plus, our brain structures are just different enough that we’ll both probably actively avoid mental contact. I can’t control my ability to sense ambient emotions, but Vulcans are very good at keeping that sort of thing locked down, so I don’t imagine it’ll be an issue.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he said. “The same would be true for me, I suppose.”

“Yes, it would be,” she said. “He’ll probably be even more respectful of your mental space, given that you’re close and you’re his captain. We’ll work on some extra shielding that you can deploy if it becomes necessary, but bonding will also help strengthen your shield, too.”

“And you’re on board with bonding?” he asked. “I know we haven’t talked about it, but I can’t imagine bonding with anyone else, despite the risk to you.”

“Those rogue Sentinels were hoping to get to you before we bonded,” she said. “I was always going to be an impediment to their plans simply because I’m the Guide closest to you, bonded or not. And given that it’s likely you’d survive the death of your bonded Guide, I can imagine that killing me was on the table either way.”

“Because of my empathy, you mean,” he said. “Being empathic allows me to act as a pseudo-Guide for myself.”

“For a time, yes,” she said. “That sort of thing wouldn’t last long-term, but for a period of time, you’d be able to manage your senses on your own. Your empathy allows you to build stronger shields than a Sentinel with only five senses, so you have that going for you as well.”

“I don’t like that bonding with me would put you at risk,” he said.

Len scoffed. “Is it really any kind of choice? Accept a less-compatible Guide or remain unbonded and risk sensory prolapse. Those are your choices, and neither of them is great.”

“Sensory prolapse?” Chris asked. “I don’t think I’ve heard that term before.”

“Basically, it means that your senses would regress to mundane levels before eventually bottoming out to almost nil,” she said. “Most Sentinels who’ve experienced it say it’s like losing a limb, because you can still feel it, but you can’t use it.”

“So, losing my advanced senses wouldn’t rob me of the instinct to use them?” he asked. “That sounds like torture.”

“Which would be why there’s a higher rate of suicide among Sentinels who have gone into prolapse,” she said. “We work hard to keep them engaged, but losing something so essential to themselves makes death seem… more appealing.”

“And bonding with a Guide can protect me from prolapse?” he asked.

“It does,” she said. “Because as a Guide, part of my job is to help you manage your senses. I can help you create buffers to protect your senses, and I can help you maintain them. You’ll be able to do it yourself at some point, because of your empathy, but having my help with that will mean you won’t be at risk of burning out your own empathy trying to do it on your own.”

“So, the prolapse is basically caused by a Sentinel overusing their senses without a buffer to protect them,” he said.

“Essentially,” she said. “It’s more complicated than that, but that’s the essence of it.”

“Yet one more reason to bond,” Chris said. “If, that is, you’re willing. I don’t want to force you into something you don’t want. You’ve been online for a long time without bonding. I can only speculate that you’ve done so because you don’t want to bond.”

“I got tired of the process, frankly,” Len said. “It’s like speed dating, only much worse, because you might meet someone you like, but they’re incompatible with you, so you have to walk away. It got to the point where I just told Trudy that the universe was going to have to drop my Sentinel in my lap in order for me to bond because I was so done with the whole process.”

“And then I literally fell into your lap,” Chris said, laughing. “Be careful what you wish for?”

“Exactly,” she said, pointing her finger at him. “Lesson learned. I no longer put things out there, because you never know who’s listening.”

“And who might be listening to a Guide, besides every Sentinel within a certain radius?” he asked.

“I called it ‘the universe’, but it’s really the psionic plane,” she said. “There’s an… intelligence there, for lack of a better term. Whoever or whatever it is that guides us all on our path does so with purpose. I can only guess that there’s a purpose behind us meeting as we have, in this time and place.”

“That sounds almost romantic, Doctor McCoy,” Chris said.

Len huffed. “If you knew me at all, you’d know there’s not a romantic bone in my body. I hate that there’s this whole woowoo thing about being a Guide. I’m a scientist, not a shaman, damnit. Give me concrete facts instead of feelings and instincts, and I’ll be happy as a pig in slop.”

Chris laughed. “Yes, I can definitely see that about you. You do have the grumpy doctor routine down pat.”

“I’ve worked hard on my emotional detachment,” she said. “Which isn’t an easy thing to do when you have an empathic sense and are exposed to the emotional state of everyone you cross paths with, whether you like it or not.”

“Will bonding help you at all?” he asked.

“The combined strength of our shields will help me block out most ambient mental noise,” she said. “I do pretty well by myself, but as a doctor, I have to be hands-on with my patients. Touching always amplifies what I glean from others.”

“Is there some formality to this process, or should we just find someplace private and let nature take its course?” he asked.

“Most of the time, when a Sentinel meets his or her Guide, they’re immediately sequestered so they can bond. Mostly, that’s due to the overwhelming desire to bond, but also because most pairs choose sex versus meditating together,” she said. “That didn’t happen for us, for obvious reasons. At this point, we’re comfortable enough with each other that we can choose the time and place for bonding.”

“And sex versus meditation,” Chris said. “Is one way better than the other?”

“Basically, any situation in which you engage your senses to memorize me while my mind nests in yours is what we’re looking for,” Len said. “Sex is faster, but it’s not necessarily better, considering most pairs are strangers when they meet. And even the ones who choose to bond through meditation eventually end up sexual partners.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Your preference?”

“At this point, I think the fastest path to a bond is best,” she said. “Given what we know and suspect to be going on out there, making ourselves as bulletproof as possible is appealing to me.”

“Me, too,” he said. He stood up and extended his hand to her. “Care to retire to my room and fuck like rabbits?”

She laughed as she took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet and into his arms. “Oh, I can already tell you’re going to be a handful.”

~0~

Chris closed the door to his suite and flipped the lock, something he’d never done in his parents’ home before. He knew they wouldn’t be offended, but they’d certainly be curious. To head off any awkward questions or untimely interruptions, he tapped out a quick note to them on the house comm system.

“You feel… embarrassed about something,” Len observed.

He turned around to find that she’d stripped herself and left her clothes folded in the chair by the windows, then crawled into bed. He could feel his mouth water at the sight of her sprawled out, naked yet unpracticed, waiting for him. She raised an eyebrow, and he caught the faintest glimmer of impatience from her.

He shrugged as he pulled off his own clothes, tossing them in the general direction of his closet. He hated being messy, but he was in a hurry. He could already feel his instincts pushing at him to go over to the bed and claim her. He hated how much of a caveman he felt in that moment, but he also recognized that he needed to just let go of his legendary control and let nature take its course.

He crawled up on the bed and settled beside Len, already engaging his senses as he cataloged how her scent was changing in response to his nearness, how the light and her own reserve were bringing a flush to her skin, and how she was trembling with anticipation.

“I was just leaving a message for Charlie and Helena,” he said quietly as he ran a finger over her chest and down between her breasts, relishing the soft skin he found there. “I didn’t want them to interrupt us. I have a feeling it wouldn’t go over well.”

“Probably not,” she said. “Your instincts are screaming at you to hunker down with me. It’ll be at least 24 hours before you can tolerate anyone else in our space.”

“Then it’s a good thing they installed a replicator in the guest suite while I was away,” he said. “At least we won’t starve.”

“If you’re still thinking about eating, I’m clearly not doing something right,” Len said.

Chris chuckled. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I think you’re doing just fine.” He took a deep breath. “So, what do I do here?”

“You’re a human male in your 50s, and you’re asking for the sex talk now?” she asked incredulously.

“Ha ha,” he said. He tweaked one pert nipple, drawing a gasp out of her. “I have the mechanics of sex figured out, no matter the gender of my partner. I mean, how do I do the imprinting thing?”

“Kiss me,” she said, tilting her chin up a little.

“That’s it?” he asked. “Kiss you?”

“You need to engage your senses,” she said. “All of them. So, start with a kiss. Your instincts will take over at that point, and you’ll figure it out.”

“Taste first, huh?” he asked. “I can do that.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, catching the smell of her skin as his lips caressed hers. She opened beneath him, so trusting and so willing. He dipped his tongue into her mouth, tasting her for the first time. It burst over his tongue, tasting of coffee and something sweet—probably the slice of cake she’d had for dessert—and under it all, the essence of the woman who would become his Guide.

All conscious thought fled at that moment, as he moved over her, pressing her body into the mattress with his own. He pulled away from her lips and trailed his tongue across the skin of her face and down her neck, inhaling the richness of her scent as his nose tucked in behind her ear.

He pushed up onto his knees, settling between her legs, and simply looked for long moments, taking in the curves of her body that fit so well with his. He ran his fingers over the soft skin of her belly, downward and around her hips as he pressed his thumbs into the bare skin of her pelvis.

“You don’t have any body hair,” he said, marveling at how soft and smooth her skin was.

“Most Guides have their body hair removed when they come online,” she said. “Sentinels can experience skin irritation when a Guide’s body hair rubs against them, so it’s just easier to get rid of it before we even meet our Sentinel.”

“And it probably saves you time in the shower because you don’t need to shave anything,” he said, slightly amused. He cupped her backside, then ran his hands down the backs of her legs, allowing his fingers to glance over the skin behind her knees.

“That was the best part,” she said breathlessly. “I hated shaving.”

“Sensitive behind the knees,” he said, adding to the catalog of information he was gathering about his Guide.

“You’re the first lover I’ve had that has discovered that,” she said.

He met her eyes. “None of them were Sentinels, right?”

“No,” she said. “I’ve never actually been in bed with a Sentinel. You’re the first.”

Chris’ chest swelled with pride. “And the last, if I have anything to say about it.”

He bent down and ran his tongue along the inside of her left leg, licking at the skin and committing the taste to memory. When he reached the top of her thigh, he let his tongue chart the crease between pelvis and thigh, then across her belly. He repeated the process down the other leg.

Len squirmed a little. Chris could feel her anticipation growing with each passing moment, but he knew he wasn’t finished yet. “Turn over.”

She complied, and he immediately dove in and licked his way up from her toes to the back of her neck, making note of each time she squirmed on the bed. The bottoms of her feet—fairly typical, as even his feet were a little sensitive—the backs of her knees, as he’d already discovered, and the back of her neck were particularly sensitive.

He settled on top of her, his erect cock nestled between her butt cheeks. It was close to perfect, but not quite. He didn’t want to take her from behind. He wanted to be able to see her, catalog her reactions to his every move, know what her face looked like when she climaxed.

“Roll over,” he growled in her ear.

“Bossy,” she muttered as he pushed up, allowing her to flip over underneath him.

“You already knew this about me,” he said as he settled down on top of her again.

She pressed up against him as she wrapped her arms around him. “Come on. I’m beyond ready for you.”

“I need to taste you,” he whispered.

He pressed a kiss to her lips, then slid down her body. He nosed between her legs and latched onto her clit, drinking in the taste and smell of his Guide. Len gasped and arched off the bed and came almost immediately.

He chuckled as he released her and crawled up the bed. “A little quick on the trigger, there, Doctor.”

“Oh, fuck you, Captain,” she said breathlessly. “Or better yet, fuck me. That was fantastic.”

“I will certainly oblige,” he said. He paused before settling over her once again. “Not to be completely unromantic, but… birth control?”

Len’s eyes widened. “I have an implant. It’s got another year on it, so I’m good.”

“Does that mean you don’t want children?” Chris asked. He paused and rolled to the side, propping his head on his hand. “Now that I think about it, I don’t even know if I want children myself.” He glanced at her. “I do have an implant, by the way. It’s got another two years, I think.”

“Well, this conversation is unexpected,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Sentinel interrupt bonding to have a serious conversation.”

“Don’t you think it would be irresponsible to bond if we’re not on the same page about that?” he asked.

“It’s not impossible for a Sentinel who thought he didn’t want children to suddenly want children after he bonds,” she said, reaching up and caressing his cheek. “But I understand that the life you live makes having children difficult. I’m not opposed, but if I were going to have children, it would have only been with my Sentinel, because I didn’t want you to have to deal with an ex-anything. That can get,.. messy.”

“I’d imagine so,” he said. “What with my heightened instincts.”

“What’s going on in that fluffy head of yours?” she asked.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Charlie,” he said.

“And you’re evading the question,” she said. She frowned. “What’s going on?

He sighed. “Years ago, during the early days on Enterprise, I was assigned to the USS Discovery for a time. On an away mission, I was given some insight into my future. It made the thought of children a non-starter. Hell, it made having a relationship difficult.”

“That’s what you meant,” she said. “When you woke up, you said you weren’t supposed to survive. You knew you’d be in this accident, didn’t you?”

“I did,” he said.

“And you didn’t try to avoid it?” she asked.

He could feel the outrage building inside her. He cupped her cheek, pressing his thumb to her lips to forestall anything she might say. “It was made very clear to me that if I somehow managed to avoid my fate, the consequences would be devastating. Both for the people I saved and the Federation at large. I couldn’t be selfish about it. Did I want to be disabled for life? No. But I was willing to endure it because I believe in the Federation and what it stands for. And because I wanted the people I saved to go on and do the amazing things they were supposed to.”

“How will your survival change the future?” she asked in a whisper. “Will it all go to hell in a handbasket?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “That’s the thing I don’t get. I was told that surviving was possible, but I’d be disabled out of Starfleet. Now I’m facing a future where I’m still able-bodied and willing to serve. The question becomes, should I? I did what I was supposed to do by saving all those cadets, but how does me coming out the other side whole change the future?”

“This is part of that woowoo shit I hate,” Len muttered. She looked at him, really looked at him; he could feel the examination down to his bones. “It doesn’t change anything for me. No matter what your future holds, I want to be there by your side. That’s how it was always supposed to be. I believe that with all my heart.”

“I would be honored to have you by my side,” he said. “Guide.”

“Sentinel,” she whispered.

He bent down and kissed her, losing himself in the taste, in the velvet softness of her mouth, in the steady beat of her heart. He knew he could find her, no matter where she was, now that he’d imprinted her on his very soul.

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him over her as she pressed her hips to his. He took the hint for what it was and settled between her legs. His hips hitched of their own accord, rubbing his cock between her lips until the tip caught on the rim of her opening. Suddenly, all he could think of was being inside her.

He pulled back and pressed inside her in one long, glorious slide. She arched up beneath him, a long, keening moan escaping her as the pleasure slammed into them both. He could feel it, could feel her as her mind pressed into his in the same way his body pressed into her.

The deeper she went, the more it felt like they were merging somehow, two people becoming one, as cliché as that sounded. He pulled her hands away from his shoulders, laced their fingers together, and pressed their joined hands to the bed on either side of her head. Rocking up on his knees, he used his hips to slam into her, over and over again, reaching back to her with his mind even as she reached out for him.

The orgasm, when it hit, was both spectacular and anticlimactic compared to the pleasure of their minds so tightly entwined with each other. Chris practically flopped down onto the bed beside Len, breathing hard and yet the most content he’d ever been.

Len rolled to her side and ran a hand over his back. “You doing okay, there, Captain?”

Chris could feel his dick twitch. He groaned. “Jesus, woman, have some pity. I’m 50.”

“You’re also a Sentinel,” she said as he rolled to his back. She snuggled up next to him, throwing a leg over his as if she wanted to be as close physically as were now mentally. “Your refractory period is going to be stellar. Thank god for that, because that was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

“I do not want to know about your past sex partners,” he grumbled. Just the thought of anyone else knowing his Guide as he now did was making him homicidal.

“No details, I promise,” she said. “But I’m going to have to tell you the names at least. Just in case we meet one of them. Wouldn’t want you going feral on them because you were unprepared.”

“Ugh,” he said. “Does that mean we should talk about my exes, too?”

“Probably, but not now,” she said. “This is the sort of conversation that’ll kill the afterglow, so let’s just save it for another day and have more sex instead.”

“Agreed,” Chris laughed. He rolled to his side and pressed a hand to her cheek. “I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I’m glad it’s you.”

“You’re far and away the best part of signing up with Starfleet,” Len said. “I could wish we’d met sooner, but I think we met right when we were supposed to.”

“I thought you didn’t go in for all that woowoo stuff?” he asked.

“For you, I might make an exception,” she said.

He just chuckled as he leaned in for another kiss.

~0~

Cast (from top left):
Anson Mount, David Strathairn, Adrian Holmes, Jess Bush, Zachary Quinto, Sam Neill, Sela Ward, Jean Reno, Damian Lewis, Stana Katic