Choices

Posted on Wed Oct 20th, 2021 @ 4:07am by Lieutenant JG Jenna Jade & Ensign Rene Rouen

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: Outside Jenna's Quarters/Inside Rene’s Quarters
Timeline: Immediately After Karaoke Night

Rene walked with Jenna to her quarters. It had been a fun night at the Hydra Lounge with the Karaoke Party and the after party once the contest had finished. He had declined drinking any of the intoxicating beverages, sticking to soft drinks throughout the night. He was thankful to be clear headed as they reached Jenna's quarters.

Jenna herself had also stuck with non-alcoholic drinks, she just didn't trust herself with the stuff, especially not after that mai tai. She was already starting to prepare her good night salutations to Rene when they arrived at her door aand it was there. It was innocuous, just a silk flower down at the base of the door, the agreed-upon signal. "Well, Rene, Ah suppose Ah should ask if Ah could stay over the night?" She laughed softly as she gestured at the fake flower, "It appears that Ah've been kicked out of my quarters for the evenin'." She blushed slightly, "Ah'd normally just head back to engineerin' and get some more done, but Ah don't feel like it tonight. So can Ah?"

Rene chuckled at the sight of the plastic flower before nodding. He was nearly fully recovered and if need be, he was still without a cabin mate. "Of course you can." He gestured in the direction of his quarters. "I believe you still have a pair of pajamas and a uniform in my quarters from your stay last week getting me back to being fit for duty."

She put her arm through his and clung onto it tightly, "Ah know Ah had a lot of fun tonight, we're gonna have to find some way to do something like this more often. Almost makes me wish were assigned to a starbase or somethin', where more opportunities are around." She sighed, "But Ah was wonderin', now that you're all better and the sort, is your bed still big enough for two?" She smiled up at him, "Ah know you don't snore, so Ah won't be kept up and awake by that."

Rene glanced at Jenna as they walked to his cabin. Jenna had spent three nights in his quarters following his release from Sickbay, the last sleep over had been four nights ago. "You know it is, but are you sure you want to share a bed with me? I mean it was one thing when I was in pain and sour...but now...I am fully functional."

Jenna nodded sharply, "Ah'm sure." She said simply, then smiled mischeviously, "Besides, it means you don't get to hog most of the bed." She giggled at the joke, since he'd not even done that beforehand, besides she wasn't all that large herself, "Ah trust you, Rene." She said quietly, "Ah know you won't do anythin' without my permission, you are after all a gentlemen of the first order. Unless, of course, you'd rather not cuddle tonight?"

"I'm good with cuddling mon amour." Rene couldn't help but wonder if cuddling was all it would be. He would be lying if he said he didn't want anyone, but he had made a vow to not rush things between them. She was setting the pace for their physical intimacy.

As they reached his quarters, Jenna input the security code she’d memorized the week prior, then almost sighed. They were due to reach the Starbase in a few days and after that? Rene would have a roommate and she’d likely be stuck without a place to stay except Engineering during the all-too-often sleepovers Minerva had over. Of course, she could always try to sneak into her own bedroom, but with her friend, who knew where the two would be. She tried to perk up a bit as she stepped into his quarters and glanced around as she always did, just in case someone had shown up, no one had, and suddenly she was nervous and she didn’t understand why. An involuntary shudder ran through her as she suddenly wished she’d had a drink, a real one, that night.

Rene caught the slight blush of her face as they passed the threshold into his quarters. He gestured to the couch as he stepped over to the replicator and came back to join her on the couch. He handed her a chamomile tea. "Here you go." The tea would help calm her.

“Thanks.” She said quietly, inhaling the calming scent, “Ah almost forgot Ah’d told you about the chamomile.” Jenna smiled, “It really is soothing..” Something crossed her mind, “You know, at some point in the near future, there’s gonna have to be a full refit of the ship. There isn’t any sort of getting around it, since so many of the components are original construction. Hell, even the dorsal pod is over a decade behind the times. If we’re gonna be out there in the deep dark, we need fully upgraded sensors and equipment.” She paused again, “Ah’d guess it’d take a dockyard at least a month.. With a fast transport or something, we could even get back to Earth for a few days if we could swing the leave time. Would you be…” Jenna swallowed hard, “Would you be up to meetin’ my parents if we could arrange it?”

Rene had no problem with Jenna's request. He had just sent a message to his own parents about the woman he had met and how she was quickly becoming the person to capture his heart. "Of course, but only on one condition. You agree to meet mine as well."

“Ah could hardly ask you to come see mine if Ah weren’t willing to do the same, could I?” Jenna agreed with him, putting the tea down and leaning into him, “It’ll be the first time Ah’ve actually brought someone home to meet them, and of course Ah’m sure you’ll get to meet my sisters and at least one of my brothers, quite possibly both. Ah’m the second oldest, and Marta’s only ten right now, the youngest, so it’s a pretty wide range.”

Rene wrapped his arms around Jenna's body, tucking her in close to him. It was pleasant to actually hold her like that in the privacy of his own quarters. "I have a large family as well. Francois and Juliette are my older siblings and the twins, Louis and Amelie, my younger brother and sister. I can tell you right now. My parents, brothers and sisters are going to love meeting you."

“Ah think Daddy’ll enjoy meetin’ you, but Mom?” Jenna laughed, “She’ll find some sort of fault in you even if Ah can’t do it. She’s always been angry with me for joinin’ Starfleet, even though Daddy stopped her from constantly haranguin’ me about it every time we talk. She means well and loves me a lot, but she gets on my nerves and you need to go into it all warned and like. Natalie might be off at school and Jessica turns sixteen in a couple months, so no doubts she’s gettin’ ready for her own Debutante Ball. Andrew and Carl will probably take you out back to have ‘that’ chat about their sister, then show you around the place.” She smiled brightly, “Should be some fun.”

Rene breathed in deep as he thought about taking leave and heading back to Earth for a stay with family. Meeting one another's family was a big step in his opinion and the way he felt about Jenna, the right thing to do. He shifted slightly to look at her directly. He could never tire of looking at her. He leaned forward and kissed her.

She accepted the kiss and returned it with some fervor before she felt the large yawn coming on that couldn’t be stopped and managed to turn her head before it came out, “That truly was some party,” she commented as she reluctantly disentangled herself from him, her fingers lingering the longest as she stood, moving to expertly unseal the blue dress and releasing the pressure that help keep it in place, letting it hang from the single shoulder strap, “And with the Lieutenant still in the Brig, Ah’ve got the duty in the mornin’.” She looked shyly over her bare shoulder, steeling her nerves, “So Ah think it’s time for bed, don’t you?”

Rene stood up. His expression initially joyous at the prospect of what he perceived was her intent. He pulled off his tunic as the stepped across to the bedroom door. He slid his arms around as he stepped up behind her and kissed her neck. He gently pulled the remaining strap as as he kissed down to her shoulder. He nimbly ducked under her arm and pressed up against her, his bare chest to hers the only thing from preventing her dress surrendering to gravity. Again, he kissed her deeply before brushing his cheek to hers and whispering in her ear. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

Sudden tenseness suffused her body that she wasn’t able to control, more than a little fear at what might be ahead, but he’s never pushed her once on the matter, told her not to let him even if he had and it wasn’t a bad thing, was it? Of course not. She nodded, not sure if she really was sure, “Ah… Ah think so, Ah’m..” She trailed off.

Rene could feel the slight tensing in her body, as well as, see the flicker of uncertainty on her face. He brushed the back of his fingers down her cheek before his hand traced down to the strap of her dress and he brought it back up to resecure it. He stepped back and the bedroom door opened. He reached up and grabbed a pair of pajamas pants before stepping to the side to allow her entry. "I...think...*sigh*...we do what we did during my recovery. I am in no rush...and you shouldn't be either." He gestured to the dresser. "You still have a uniform and pajamas in the top drawer we set up for you the second night. I will change in the living room and be back in five."

Jenna’s heart was crushed as the door closed behind her, not that he was rejecting her, but because of the disappointment she saw on his face, in his body. She took a couple steps back before turning to the mirror he had in the corner. She once again slid the strap off and let the dress fall to the ground and looked. The sexy undergarment she’d picked out without Minerva knowing, the two inch heels that got her closer to Rene’s height, but not quite, and the subdued makeup that wouldn’t get smeared all over the place. She slipped out of the heels gratefully, her feet hurting front he damned things, but they were part of things.

Looking into the mirror, she saw all the little faults in her body, the slightly too-wide hips, perky but smaller chest that really didn’t need support except during duty hours to keep them firmly in place and she sighed, biting her lip. She got dressed into her pajamas quickly and sat down on the end of the bed until Rene walked in on time, “Ah’m sorryRene, Ah… Ah really wanted to, Ah did. Ah almost got somethin’ to settle my nerves at the lounge, but then Ah thought you’d have turned me down because Ah was under the influence and Ah just.. Lost my nerve. Ah don’t want you to think Ah’m just a tease, really Ah don’t.”

Rene sat down next to her. He draped one arm around her shoulder and lifted her face with a finger. "Mon amour, never believe that I would ever think that of you. I am happy to wait as long as it takes for you to be ready...really ready." He gently kissed her briefly. "Understand, I don't want to have sex with you. I want us to make love together."

“Why else do you think Ah’ve waited so long?” Jenna asked with a smile, “Ah’m a romantic at heart, but Ah don’t think Ah’m quite a traditionalist, not like mom wants me to be.” She suddenly turned so she yawn right in his face, then turned to kiss him lightly, “Thank you. For understandin’, for being patient.”

Rene stood up and scooped Jenna up in his arms. He held her as he carried her around to the side of the bed and slipped her under the covers before sliding in himself. His pulled her in close and cuddled. He slowly kissed her and settled back into bed.

***** 2AM ******

Jenna had been awake for well over an hour. Not just slightly awake, wide awake as her mind just kept running in circles. Rene seemed to be asleep and Jenna didn’t want to wake him up, but she shifted around in his arms to face him and squeezed a hand up to caress his face, “Rene? Ah need you to wake up.” She said softly, “Ah mean really really need you to wake up.” Her voice grew slightly louder.

Rene woke up and he gazed at her. "What is it mon amour ?" She looked wide awake and there was something about her expression that seemed...different. She looked like someone with a purpose.

Jenna gave a slightly apologetic smile, “Ah’m sorry to wake you up, but…” She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, obviously to focus as her eyes flashed open again, her honeyed Southron accent all but gone like when she spoke a different language, but it made herself easier to understand, “I’ve been thinking a lot tonight, I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.”

She took another deep breath, “I’m scared. I’m nervous because I’m scared, because all of this is so new to me. Ah’ve never been in a relationship like this before.” She paused as she slipped once into her accent, “And I don’t want to disappoint you and I don’t want to disappoint myself either. I don’t want to be bad at this and that scares me even more. It scares me even more so, because… I love you, Rene.” She got the words out for the very first time.

She immediately brought her hand up to cover his mouth for a moment as he started to speak and shook her head, “Not yet, Ah’m not done.” Her face screwed up as she was forced to concentrate again. She HAD to be understood, “I’m always going to be scared, there’s no way around it. Until I know, I will always be nervous and scared, Rene. I don’t want to be. I need not to be scared of this, of you and me. Ah need your help, Ah really do.” Tears welled up in her eyes as her voice lost it’s discipline, “Because Ah love you so much. Can you help me not be scared anymore?”

Rene pulled her close, her head resting on his chest as he embraced her. He wanted her to know he could, and would, always be safe with him. Actions would always speak louder than words. He didn't say anything for a while, just held her close. He finally spoke. "Rest my love. I will always protect you any way I can. Don't worry about disappointing me, you won't. Now close your eyes, get comfortable and most of all, relax.

"Nuh uh." Jenna said softly, "Ah don't want to rest right now." She looked up at him, "You're not understandin' what Ah'm sayin'." Then she shut up and edged herself up so that she was staring into his eyes, "Ah want this. Now. Because... Because." She finished before kissing him with intent to smolder. She pulled back after a few seconds, "Just don't ask if Ah'm sure, because then we'll get into a cycle that Ah do not want."

Rene kissed her back with an ever increasing intensity as his hands caressed gently down the silk pajama top. His hands reached her waist and he shifted her body slightly to rest fully atop his. He wanted her to feel his arousal before they continued further. He needed to truly gauge her desire before continuing.

It was now or never. That's what was going through Jenna's head and she froze again. A cold shot of fear ran through her again, but she fought it, motions jerky and hesitant as she straddled him, running her own hands down his chest, then grasping her top and pulling it off, reaching down for his hands to bring them up to her chest, "Just... Be gentle." She got out somehow, "Please."

Rene gently took the time to discover what brought her pleasure as she discovered the same about him. It was a magical night filled with a smoldering passion that intensified to an insatiable desire for love making until the wee hours of the morning. It was 4am before they even paused in their passion for one another.

Rene felt tingles throughout his body as they lay there on their sides facing one another under the covers. He wondered if she felt the same sensations as he did. The smile on her face did indicate an enjoyment for the night's romp in the bed and there was no sign of lingering doubt anymore. He shifted closer and kissed her before shifting back. "I...I hope it was pleasurable for you."

Jenna nodded even as remembered the night, "Oh, it was, Rene, it was, though Ah'll admit, it hurt a bit... At first. But that's normal for the first." She smiled again, "Ah can see why Minerva... Oh God, what am Ah gonna tell Minerva? She'll be impossible to live with when she finds out." She started laughing, "Ah'm not too worried about um... What happens in another hour and a half, sleep's overrated, ain't it?"

Rene chuckled lightly. "Well, we could always grab a shower and maybe swing by the mess to grab a leisurely breakfast." He still felt rather good for a man who had been up for almost 24 hours.

She reached up and caressed his cheek, "That sounds like a winner. We're gonna need a big breakfast to get through this day... Lots and lots of coffee." She looked chagrined, "Sorry for keeping you up all night." She said with a sly smile.

Rene broke out in laughter as he gave Jenna a little tickle. He knew that she had no regrets for what happened. "No your not." She had spent just as much time as he during the night discovering what aroused him. "We are going to need to get a long shower and a hearty breakfast."

She giggled and swatted lightly at the tickling fingers, "Long shower is right, but not too long... Just the sound of breakfast is making me hungry and if Ah don't get something to eat soon, Ah'm just gonna have to go for some rare meat and eat you!"

"I may do the same...as a matter of fact." Rene pinned Jenna to the bed. "I think I will." It was almost another hour before they left his quarters and headed to the crew mess for breakfast.