Fic - Evolution of a Relationship: Star Charts

[commanderteddog.livejournal.com]

Title: Evolution of a Relationship: Star Charts
Rating: PG-13
Universe: Alternate Universe
Timeline: Summer, 2006.
Written: February, 2008.
Summary: Rick and Shayna finally have a spare moment from their new jobs and spend the evening together stargazing.
Note: THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS OF THIS FIC. This is the public version. The private version can only be read by community members.


The ground was dry and warm, still holding onto the midday heat long after the sun had finally set. The blue sky gave way to a black ceiling, lit up with tiny bright stars. The view, Rick decided, was quite nice from where his head rested in Shayna's lap.

He had seen the stars before, from northern settlements where the night stayed for months on end to deep in the southern controlled lands, where you didn't have time to admire the sky since you were always looking behind your back. Even the sum of all those views couldn't compare to the one in front of him now. The words passed along between the other travelers were true; the sky was bigger in Montana. Rick never really had put forth the effort to travel through before. The foot routes in and around the former state were notoriously harsh and not friendly to a lost Canadian wandering solo from settlement to settlement, so Rick concluded that the odds of finding his goal there were close to slim.

Instead, the sky had become part of the unexpected, but well enjoyed, reward at the end of the journey. If it wasn't for Shayna playing with his hair, Rick felt that he could have drifted away into the starscape. For the moment, and the next while longer, he was content enough to remain fully on earth.

“So, Rick, I found this book at the local library.”

Rick's attention refocused to the equally beautiful view closer to him. The starlight highlighted Shayna's features against the inky darkness. Her copper hair, especially, reflected the cold, blue-white light quite nicely.

He felt something tap at his nose.

“Uh? Library?” Rick asked with a blink.

Shayna looked down at him with a slight smile. “I was a bit worried that you fell asleep on me. Yes, I went over to the library and was a bit surprised I didn't see you over there on a coffee break.”

Rick chuckled. Their schedules, through some imbalance in the universe, hadn't been kind to their personal private time. Summer meant more people passing through and requiring short trips to the local hospital, keeping Shayna busy while Rick had his hands full dealing with business at the radio station. The rise in visitors meant a rise in resistance activity, often requiring the services of the one local media outlet. That Shayna and Rick had even had this evening to themselves was a feat in itself, put together with some swift planning on Shayna's part to find someone to watch the rest of their family while Rick quietly delegated enough tasks at the station to slip out for the night.

“It's not like I've had much time to swing by lately,” Rick said. “Either I have to meet with someone who's dropped by or I have to sort papers for someone else, all while making sure that the next song goes to air at the right time.”

“The perils of being the heroic disc jockey!” Shayna said with a laugh, ruffling Rick's hair. “I think I like you better as the dangerous pirate broadcaster. Willing to take the radio outpost by force just to get dirt on a certain resistance leader in order to defend the woman he loves!”

“I think that Enrico pretty much took care of that problem for us. The resistance frowns on people who eat their own.”

“You really know how to ruin a girl's fantasy, don't you?”

Rick could have sworn that he saw a sudden spark in Shayna's eyes. He didn't dwell on it, deciding instead to get this conversation back on track, with a dramatic flare for comedic effect. “So, library. What sort of books are you getting from there, anyway?!”

Shayna grinned. “Wouldn't you like to know?” She paused. “Everything. I haven't heard the full story, but someone at the library in town has been in contact with this... I'm not sure how to explain it, but it turns out that there's another settlement with library, a bigger one, about just less than a week's travel east of us.”

“East?” Rick racked his brain. It wasn't exactly common to hear of a settlement of any kind having a library. The tiny one that Missoula had was enough to overwhelm him.

“Yeah,” Shayna replied with a nod. “The librarians aren't really open about it, but this big library is said to be run by a young man who wants to have records of all the books still intact in the settlements. He's even trading some of his library books for ours, claiming it's all in the process of opening up the flow of information.”

“Have you seen this kid?” Rick asked, tilting his head as much as he could in Shayna's lap.

She shook her head. “No, this is only what I've picked up in passing. I did see some of the new books. Not that many, probably because it takes so long to move them, but I did find a book on astrology.”

Rick struggled to force back a laugh. Given his position at the moment, laughing his head off would result in pain from more than one source.

Glaring down on the geek, Shayna stopped petting and tapped Rick's nose again. “What's so funny.”

“Astrology! The dead science!”

“People said the same thing about herbal medicines and look at where we are today.” The woman grinned. “All hail the great wanderer, living on the road and seeking medical help from the local herbalists. We're the only reason that you're alive today. Your life is in my hands. Remember that.” She returned to playing with a few strands of Rick's salt-and-pepper hair.

Rick coughed. “Quite, but using herbs as medicine has some background in the study of chemistry. The factory produced medicine from the south and your herbs use similar, if not the same chemical reactions to treat ailments. Astrology is different. That's crossing Astronomy and Biology. It doesn't match up.”

“When is your birthday again?”

The question came sharp and fast, catching Rick off guard. He answered without dwelling on it. “November 1st.”

“That would make you a Scorpio. Known for being moody, overbearing, insulting and stubborn and... sadistic.”

Rick sat up with a jolt. “If I recall correctly, you agreed to everything that night! What did this book say about you?”

Shayna laughed and pulled her knees up to her chest, since Rick was no longer using her body as a pillow. “That I'm a Cancer. We're fearless and generous...” She shuffled closer to Rick. “And dominating, manipulative and blunt about some things.”

Raising an eyebrow, Rick exchanged a look with Shayna, noticing that the predatory spark had returned. He smirked back. “Just some things? Got any examples?”

Rick should have expected her next move, but he still let out a gasp of surprise as found himself flat on his back, pinned against the baked soil as Shayna placed her weight against his shoulders.

“Like how a Scorpio's sexual intensity is supposed to be unmatched,” Shayna explained. Satisfied that she was firmly in control, she took a moment to brush off a couple of stray bits of dirt from Rick's jacket before absentmindedly returning to play with Rick's hair.

“The depraved little Scorpio, capable of great heights of passion and ecstasy... not only just about science.” Rick almost hear Shayna's wide grin in her tone. She lowered her voice as she leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. “I don't think we've experimented enough yet to see just how far that goes.”

Rick gulped, half wanting to embrace the attention, half wanting to sink into the ground, escape and maybe tackle Shayna from behind in revenge. He tried to shoot a pleading look over to Shayna, but it was clear the woman had other things on her mind.

“Don't worry. I'll take care of you. I have to.” Shayna forced back a giggle as she nibbled lightly on Rick's ear. “Not only are Cancers great protectors but out here nobody can hear you scream my name but me.”