Skating Lesson

Posted on Fri Nov 6th, 2009 @ 7:38am by Commodore Samantha York & Colonel Damon Raine

1,952 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: The Devils Snare
Location: Holosuite
Timeline: current

ON

Samantha thought for a moment before replying to Damon's question. Had she ever been ice skating? "Once, when I was a kid, but I don't think that counts," she replied. "I doubt I'll do as well at ice skating as you did at dancing!" She was pretty sure she'd end up falling down more than once. And, with her luck, she'd take Damon down with her.

"I think you will do great. It's all about smooth and graceful strides. Having seen you dance, you might find you have an aptitude for it.

Damon turned and quickly called for the arch. The program responded as the hologram dissolved around the doorway. He smiled to himself as he reached the control panel, already knowing which program to select. With a few quick taps on the panel the room shifted into a large outdoor ice rink.

"Computer, reduce temperature to a mild February evening and appropriate ice skating apparel."

Instantly the temperature dropped to a very chilly 32 degrees Fahrenheit causing Damon's breath to freeze as he exhaled.

Two jackets along with two pairs of skates appeared next to the arch on a bench, elevated from the snowy ground. Damon was quick to grab the clothing before he rushed across the frozen surface to Samantha.

"Here you go." He said, passing the clothing and skates to her. "There should be a dry bench to put the skates on by the edge of the rink."

Samantha gratefully took the coat and put it on. Then she took the skates and headed toward the ice rink. She wasn't as worried about moving in the skates as she was about stopping. But it sounded like fun and she had Damon to help her if she got stuck. She found a bench and sat down to put on her skates and set her shoes safely behind the bench. When the skates were on and laced up snugly, she stood carefully and looked for Damon. "Okay. I'm ready."

With the largest smile he could muster, he hobbled over to Samantha and took her hand to lead her over to the ice. Once they were close to the edge he looked eagerly at the glass-like surface, THIS was his element, THIS is where he could be comfortable. With a quick step, both he and Samantha touched the ice and began slowly gliding across its surface.

Sam held tightly to Damon's hand as she began to get a feel for the ice and the movement of the skates. It took one full lap for her to feel comfortable enough to relax her grip. She still wasn't going to let go because she knew the moment she did she'd fall. "Okay, Mr. Instructor. I'm all yours."

Damon chuckled to the statement. "Well you did say that you've skated before. Did you by chance learn how to stop properly? And before you say it, no, hitting the boards at full speed doesn't count."

"I hadn't thought of that," Sam said, grinning. "I tended to just run into the wall or the railing. So you can take that as a no, I don't know how to stop. I never really took any lessons. I just went ice skating a time or two with friends."

She was feeling a lot more comfortable with standing and moving on the skates. She still didn't think she could stop. So, she continued to hold Damon's hand. If she let go, she was sure to fall. At least, that was the excuse she gave herself.

"Okay, it's no big deal really, but it does take some time to get right. Really, the hardest part is getting over the fear of falling."

He pulled her in close to his body and let go of one hand.

"Now I want you to hold on to me with your left hand here and plant your left foot. Keep your body weight on your left foot and use me to keep your balance. Now, bend your knees a bit and extend your right leg away from your body. What we want to do here is shave off the top layer of ice a bit so you can get used to the mechanic."

Damon watched as she did this a few times until there was a sizable pile of shaved ice built up on the surface.

"Okay, the most important thing to remember is to bend your knees before turning your body and digging your skates in. Both feet should remain about a shoulders length apart. When you do turn your body, remember to push out on the inside edge of your skates.

Damon let go of her and demonstrated what he had said a few times before returning to her side.

"Alright. Take two strides forward and then glide for a few feet before you try it." He said, slightly nervous that she might hurt herself doing this.

Samantha did what he said. She took two strides forward, glided a bit, then stopped. She stumbled a bit, but she stopped. Grinning, she turned around slowly and tried it again. This time it was a bit better. Thinking third time was the charm, she went one more time, still managing to stop. Pleased with herself, she turned around to face Damon... and her skates slipped out from under here and she fell back on her bottom. She was startled for a moment, then began to laugh. "I should have known the odds were against me."

Damon winced when he saw her fall, but was instantly relieved by her laughing about it. He let out a small laugh himself as he lazily skated over to her. Once he had picked up enough speed he dropped to one knee before twisting his body to thump on his backside. Though his body was now facing the opposite direction, the momentum slid his body to within a few inches of where Samantha sat. Almost as if he was backing into a parking space, Damon pulled up along side her.

"Hi." He said cheerfully as his body finally stopped moving.

"Very impressive," she said, smiling. Sam was finding a lot more than his skating impressive. She quite liked Damon the person.

"Actually," He said with a sideways smile. "I was going to say how impressed I am on how well your first attempts went. The first time I tried to stop I ended up on my face. In fact, it happened right over there." He pointed to a location near the other side of the ice rink.

"Oh, yes, very impressive. I can go a short distance and stop. But I can't turn and I can't get up once I fall." She gave him a cheeky grin. "I try very hard not to fall on my face. I prefer the bruises not to show." So this was near where he grew up? Interesting.

Damon chuckled a bit at the comment. "I'm sure when you started dancing you stumbled every once and again. Skating is no different; you fall, you learn. As for getting up," He shrugged. "I can't think of another place I'd rather be at the moment than right here." He wondered if she would catch the meaning that the location had nothing to do with it.

Sam met his gaze. She understood what he meant. "Neither can I," she replied softly. Even though she'd only known him a short time, there wasn't anywhere she'd rather be than in his company.

Damon simply sat on the cold ice and looked into her eyes. Despite the frigid conditions he felt warm inside, a warmth he had almost forgotten over the last few years. He knew he wanted to kiss her, but wasn't sure what the rules were anymore for kissing on a first date. More to that, he still wasn't entirely sure what her opinion of him. It was likely that she would shoot him down and ruin his future chances. He struggled with these thoughts as the seconds perceptibly ticked by; his indecision was costing him a potential window. ~Make up your mind!~

Samantha was barely aware of her backside growing numb from the cold. She wanted to lean in and kiss him, but that would be too forward. Although it seemed like she'd known him for a long time, they'd only just met and this was their first date. Or, if she wanted to break it down by event, it was their third, but one right after the other, which really didn't count. She wanted to reach out and caress his cheek, but she wasn't sure how he'd respond to that. She should get up, but she didn't want to do that, either. So she sat there, looking into his eyes, not breaking the contact...

Damon continued to weigh his options. If she wasn't slightly interested she would have broken eye contact by now...right? Then again, she might be just confused as to why he was still staring at her. It seemed the only thing he was sure of was that he would regret letting this moment pass by without him doing something.

With a small smile, he decided to test his ground. He leaned in and gently kissed Samantha on the forehead before pulling back a few inches. ~Worked well the last time.~

Samantha chuckled. "I thought we covered this ground once before." It was the kind of kiss you gave a kid sister, or a cousin. Was that how he saw her? Then again, would he sit her looking at her if he wasn't just a little interested? She wasn't sure. She sighed softly, wondering what he'd do next.

Damon grinned, slightly embarrassed. "Well, it worked out well last time. Although," He said with a glint in his eye. "I could try something different." ~So much for playing it safe.~

If she recalled correctly she said he had to do better next time, but she wasn't going to mention that. She enjoyed his company too much to risk pushing him away by saying that again. "Do what you want." She blushed. That was entirely the wrong thing to say. ~You blew it. Now he's going to think you're some sort of hussy.~

He smirked at the comment after he noticed Samantha blush. Apparently he wasn't the only one having trouble articulating his thoughts. He briefly considered responding, but thought better of it. ~Actions speak louder than words after all...~

He didn't have as far to travel this time as he was already only a few inches away from her face. Slowly he moved in, pausing for a brief moment mere millimeters from her lips before closing the distance and kissing her.

~Oh, my.~ The reality of the kiss was better than she imagined it would be. Her hand gently cupped his cheek as she kissed him back.

Damon was more than a little relieved that she didn't reject the kiss. He allowed his thoughts to melt away as he fully devoted himself to this moment with Samantha. After a few more seconds passed by he pulled back slightly, breaking the contact, but remaining close to her face. A shy smile etched itself on his features as he looked to the beautiful woman inches away.

Samantha gently caressed Damon's cheek as she let her hand fall back to her side. She looked at him shyly, not quite sure what to say. She was sitting on a sheet of ice in the middle of a holodeck and all she could think about was the man sitting in front of her. "I think I need to go ice skating more often."

OFF

2nd Lieutenant Damon Raine
Marine CO
USS Orion

Lieutenant Samantha York
Chief Science Officer
USS Orion

 

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