Subject: Grail:"The Great Brightness"-'The Calm Before The Storm'

'The Calm Before the Storm'

by: LtCmdr Janice Hargen

<<Stardate 47307.31- 1:30>>

<<Hargen's Quarters>>

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Janice re-entered her quarters, grimacing at the mess. She carefully

placed her French Horn in the one clean corner of the room and rolled up

her sleeves. She was feeling a bit better - at least, not so bad that she

would toss furniture around the room anymore. She knelt beside the

remains of the chair and table, picking up the larger pieces and breaking

them enough so they could be placed in the replicator to be reabsorbed.

She winced as her hand came in contact with the rough edges of the

material. She shrugged, deciding to finish repairs on her hand after she

had dealt with the mess, especially the mirror.

Finally, she sat back, having cleaned up the major mess. She would have

to go about getting new furniture later. She replicated herself a drink

and sat on the couch, one of the few remaining pieces of furniture. She

let her mind wander back over the past day, but this time more rationally

than emotionally. And she came to a conclusion.

She had been acting like a big baby. Perhaps she did have a bit of a

liking to the captain. So what? Everyone is allowed their little

"crushes." It wouldn't affect her work as the Chief Engineer, and she

would make sure that it didn't affect her attitude towards the other

crewmembers anymore. She'd let the matter slide into oblivion, and it

wouldn't bother anyone any longer.

Or at least that was what she told herself.

She knew that she had a bit more than a "liking" to the captain, though.

She hadn't felt like this in a long, long time. And as much as she hated

it, and wished to be able to return to not feeling that at all, she liked

it, too. She liked the way her heart fluttered when she saw him walk by.

The way she could barely keep herself from blushing when he paid her a

compliment. The way she could just think about him for hours and hours...

She shook her head sadly. What a hopeless case she was. She sighed, not

up for another round of furniture tossing, and returned to cleaning the

room. She finally finished cleaning up the mirror shards on the ground

and she had stifled the queasy feeling in her stomach as she had cleaned

the "blood" stain, but she was done. She sat down, rolling her head

around, trying to loosen the tight muscles.

She winced again as she reached for her glass to finish the juice she had

gotten. Time to finish fixing that hand, before she got too many remarks

on it and was sent to sickbay. She reached for her repair kit... and

found nothing.

Janice frowned. She had remembered putting it right there... and she was

unable to "misplace" things. Her memory was too keen for that. She

hadn't moved it - it was just gone. A horrible revelation came over her

suddenly. Her stomach churning, she tapped her commbadge. Her voice was

flat.

"Hargen to Security. I'd like to report a break in."

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{OOC: Logan, up for a joint post? <eg>}