The Devil You Know (part 6)

Posted on Wed Oct 31st, 2012 @ 1:39pm by Admiral Kathryn Burke & Admiral Maximilian 'Max' Hunter
Edited on on Wed Oct 31st, 2012 @ 1:42pm

883 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: The Enemy Within: Lying in Wait
Location: Athena Shipyards, Typhon

[CONTINUED]

[OLD]

Max walked over to her slowly. He was quiet, and when he is quiet he was always in deep thought. When he stopped behind Kathryn, he put his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle rub before speaking up. "I know about Typhon. I know about the Columbia, and I know about the Calypso. That much is obvious." He let out a soft sigh and leaned in, whispering softly into her ear. "I also know you are very strong and wouldn't leave anyone behind to do something for yourself. Its why your in that seat. If you need my help in any of this, you know I will be here without hesitation. At your side, just right where I have always wanted to be. That you already know."

[NEW]


Kathryn shook her head. No. He didn't want to be by her side. Not unless it suited his ulterior motives. It had been several years since her husband died and she missed having someone to help ease the burden. Max was too good at knowing what buttons to push. If only he meant what he said...

He gave her shoulders another rub and leaned back again, clearing his throat. "But once this is all over, please consider taking a vacation. Whether someone far or close, doesn't matter. You put too much on your shoulders and eventually its gonna wear you down and I don't want to see that happen to you. You know, by now, I worry about you. If I didn't, I would never have gone out of the way to try to convince you to take a trip. I only want to see you happy and I will go to great lengths to do that." Max smiled as he leaned forward again, looking at the reflection of the both of them in the glass. "Besides, I was planning on meeting you there anyway. What fun would you have on a trip without me?"

Kathryn was surprised by that. She hadn't considered that he would want to go with her. She found herself swaying backwards towards Max, then stopped. Even if she believed him. Even if she wanted to give in, she couldn't. There was too much going on right now. TOo much at stake. "Oh, Max. What am I going to do with you?"

"I have a few ideas, but right now, you making that decision would probably mean more than me telling you." Max replied as he leaned forward and gave her a slight kiss on the back of the head and then pulled back slightly. "Just stay safe. For me, alright?"

Kathryn turned around and scanned his face, trying to read what was behind his words. She had no idea what he meant. But then, he always kept his thoughts to himself and only told her what she needed to know. Or what he thought she needed to know. "Why did you make Millie do my reports?"

"Like I said, I wanted to take you out first. Show you a nice time, maybe end up somewhere private and romantic." Max replied with a smile as he raised his hand to the side of her face and touched it gently. "Plus, I thought you could do with most of the burden lifted off you back. You work too much and need to lighten you load a bit. Too much stress is bad for you and why ruin a beautiful face like yours with stress and worries?"

"It comes with the territory," she muttered. She decided that she would accept his words at face value and not look for an ulterior motive. "I appreciate the gesture, Max -- and the dinner. And I'm sure Millie will appreciate the vacation. Especially now." She waved her hand towards the desk. "I admit, I wasn't looking forward to a night of filling out reports."

"You see. I can actually do something good every now and then. There is still hope for me." Max laughed and then smiled. He let out a soft sigh as he looked around the room and then finally back to her. "Believe me. When it comes to doing things because you have to, not because you want to, you're preaching to the choir."

She wasn't quite sure what to say next, so she just nodded.

Max was quiet in return. He just looked at her with a smile on his face. He wanted nothing more then to stay in this moment, but he knew he had other things to do that came before what he wanted. "I know, sometimes, its hard for you to trust me. After all, my job isn't always once that invites trust, but I want you to know something. Whenever it comes to you, I always mean well. I never plan to hurt you, insult you, or even push you further away. Whenever I do something for you, its always done with the best intentions and not because of some hidden agenda." He ran his hand down the side of her face and then gave her a playful and gentle tap on the tip of her nose. "Your best interest will always come first, even before my own."

(To be continued...)

Admiral Kathryn Burke
Commander, Theta Fleet

Admiral Maximilian Hunter
SFI Special Ops

 

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