The Bond that Ties...

Posted on Sun Jun 7th, 2015 @ 6:13am by Lieutenant Jensen Foster

1,443 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: What Dreams May Come
Location: Foster's Quarters
Timeline: after The Fire Within, Pt 1 & 2

ON:

He thought he was doing so well. He thought he'd gotten himself under control. He thought he'd found a kindred spirit with Lieutenant Commander Cattmor; seeing as how they had similar abilities. But, staring at his face in the mirror, he realized all he'd thought was wrong.

Jensen felt so alone.

Sighing, he walked away from the mirror, not wanting to look at himself anymore. Walking out into his living quarters, he walked over to where his violin rested on its stand. He picked it up gently, almost reverently, and gazed at the lustrous, dark wood of the body and almost-black color of the neck with it's curling end. His fingers tightened around the neck then and he felt a hallowness so deep and dark that he felt as if he stood on the precipice of a great cliff. One wrong step and down he would fall, to be dashed upon the rocks as the waves crashed over his bleeding and broken body.

In that moment he missed James. They'd almost always been stationed on starships together since graduation. The first time they weren't stationed together was when he'd gotten his posting on the Zenobia. And he knew how that had ended.

If only James were here, then maybe I'd be able to handle things and be able to get through all this. But James isn't here and I have to do it all on my own. Alone.

Feeling tears welling up, Jensen swallowed back the lump in his throat and said aloud, "Computer, play Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, in C-sharp Minor." And within seconds the beginning chord began to fill the empty spaces of his quarters. He situated his violin properly, wedging it between his chin and left shoulder while grasping the neck with his hand. He picked up his bow and soon the melody of his violin joined the beautifully somber melody of the music that swirled and danced all around.

He closed his eyes and just fell into the music. And though Jensen gave into the music, in his mind he was still standing at the edge of the cliff, staring down into the dark waters below. It would be so simple... To just let it all go...

You know what Mom would say if she heard those thoughts right?

Eyes snapping open, the bow sliding against the strings the wrong way, Jensen turned sharply at the familiar voice in his head. He found himself confronted by his twin. James stood there leaning against his bedroom doorway, arms crossed, an eyebrow raised, and a smile playfully tugging at his lips.

"Computer, stop music!" At once his quarters were swallowed up by silence and all Jensen could do was stare at his twin brother.

Oh, come on, I'm not that much of a surprise, I am? The smile on his twin's face widened and Jensen just blinked taking a step back towards the couch. The moment his knees connected with the cushions he sat down, dropping his violin and bow to the ground before him.

"James?"

In the flesh, so to speak!

"But... But... You can't be here! You're stationed on the Jardin!"

His twin moved closer, coming to sit next to Jensen on the couch. While they were identical, there were differences to them. Where Jensen liked to wear his hair long, James preferred a shorter, crew cut. While Jensen wore the teal sciences uniform, his brother wore the gold operations uniform. And while they could have been of the same rank, Jensen was technically a rank higher than his twin. That was only one of a few differences between them. The only other distinguishing marker between them was the six-inch scar that ran down the left side of James's face, slicing next to his eye, curving over his cheekbone and towards the corner of his mouth. While he could have used a dermal regenerator to correct the scar, James had preferred to keep it, almost as if it were a badge of honor or something. It was the one thing Jensen had never understood about his twin.

Speaking aloud this time, James intoned, "You should know by now that our bond is stronger than that. Especially if your emotions and abilities start getting the better of you."

Jensen felt like pinching himself. He had to be dreaming, because if this was a hallucination caused by the gas cloud...

"I'm not caused by the gas cloud. I'm here because you need me. Now, tell me. What's bothering you?"

Jensen chewed on his lip a moment before answering, "I've had a few experiences since being stationed here on the Ranger. One of them was particularly bad and me and another crew member had a falling out of sorts." He looked down at the floor again, feeling ashamed.

James moved closer and put an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Oh, Jensen. You have nothing to feel ashamed about. You know your abilities are stronger than normal. And you-"

"But I thought, after my posting on the Zenobia, it would get easier, not harder!"

Jensen felt his brother rubbing his hand over his back, comforting as best as possible. "You know that's not normally the case. And with what you're experiencing here in the gas cloud, it only makes sense as to why your abilities are getting the best of you. You're on edge. You're stressed. And when you sought help, it only made matters worse didn't it?"

Jensen looked into his twin's eyes and said, "Lt. Cmdr. Cattmor and I not only destroyed Holodeck Two a few days ago, but we partially destroyed my quarters. It's the second time that's happened since I've come aboard. I've tried meditating to help, but it's not working. And I'm running out of ideas, James." While he'd spoken with T'mpest and had his quarters worked on again, he almost wanted to talk to her about installing some kind of dampening field for his quarters. If only to take the edge off when he was off-duty.

"Now, there's a novel idea. Why haven't you spoken to your captain about the dampening field for your quarters?"

Jensen just stared at his twin. He'd nearly forgotten about the telepathic bond they shared due to his stress and fear. It didn't help when he expected Cal'n to appear at any moment. "I've been meaning to, but I just haven't found the time. But that will only help when I'm off-duty. What am I going to do when I'm on-duty?"

"Well, having this dampening field installed might actually help for when you are on duty. You'll be able to meditate better without the constant onslaught of emotion from the crew."

Jensen looked away from his brother for a moment and mulled over what he'd just said. Somehow, having his twin voicing everything so calm and rationally seemed to ease the younger twin's doubts and insecurities. Turning his gaze back to James, Jensen said, "When this mission is over and the Ranger docks at the next space station, I'll be sure to talk to T'mpest about the dampening field for my quarters."

"Good! Now, I hope I've helped clear your head a little bit. Go back to playing your violin. It's the one good thing, other than helping people, that you're good at." James smiled and poked Jensen in the ribs, causing the younger twin to giggle and shove him away affectionately.

"Stop it!" Jensen calmed down enough a few seconds later to voice, "I'd better see you in person when this mission is over. Be it somehow you can take leave for a few days or through comm channels. I miss you."

"Oh, you'll see me. That I can promise you!"

And with that, Jensen walked over to get his violin and bow from where he'd dropped them on the floor. By the time he'd retrieved them and turned back to where James had been, his brother was no longer there. And while he was let wondering if the interaction had been because of their telepathic bond, Jensen couldn't quite help but wonder if it was all just a hallucination caused by the cloud.

Yet, he couldn't quite still the feeling of love that had invaded his being. With that feeling guiding him, Jensen began to play his violin, filling the quiet of his quarters with a melody so beautiful and joyous that it forced the shadows to retreat back to where they belonged.

OFF:


Lieutenant Jensen Foster
Chief Medical Officer
USS Ranger

Lieutenant JG James Foster
Chief Operations Officer
USS Jardin

 

RSS Feed