Six Years

Hala: Day One

She woke up with an excruciatingly painful headache as if she had been drinking excessively the night before. She hadn't remembered going out and drinking -- she hadn't... Come to think of it.... She paused, squinting at the bright light above her. Come to think of it, I don't remember anything... Strange. She chuckled. Must have been a night that she wanted to forget... That bad, huh?  Hu... What's... What's on my arm? She lifted her arm up and found it under the covers of the bed. It felt different -- numb almost- as if she had fallen asleep on it. She gripped it underneath the covers and lifted it above the covers to find her forearm badly bruised and an IV was inserted in her arm. Blue... Some blue chemical was flowing through her. She glanced around her surroundings, blinking quickly to normalize her eyes, and then continued trying to figure out where she was and.... who she was.. Her heart quickened its pace and she found herself needing to breathe sooner and sooner. No intake of breath was enough. She suddenly started to feel very hot as if the room had been turned into a sauna. The growing energy continued to build throughout her body, flushing her face. She tried to breathe to cool herself down but nothing was working. She felt as if she was going to pass out. Her lips were so parched... All she wanted was water. But... She didn't know... She felt he lip wobble a little  and her hands begin to shake as the panic set in.  Where was she? What was this strange room? Why was something in her arm? Who... Who was she? She found a mirror across from the bed.  IV was yanked out and she winced in pain. Holding her new wound, she had to find out who she was. The mirror would at least tell her what she looked like. She got up from the bed, trying to stand on her own but found her knees to weak. She fell and would have crumpled onto the floor if it had not been for someone catching her.  Strong arms steadied her. Comforting scent like clean... laundry? It reminded her of something.....  "Shh.. Shh it's okay. You're safe now, Vers... Relax..."  A heat emanating from her hands. "Control it, Vers..."

"Vers?" She asked, assuming it was either a nickname or a name. She looked up at her savior and found a man trying to steady her. He had dirty blonde hair and the beginning of a receding hairline. She didn't remember him but the way he addressed her comforted her. She found tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry... I don't remember you..."

"They must have really done a number on you," spoke the man as he helped her stand up straighter. "Right. Back into bed you go." He helped guide her to the bed and noticed that she didn't have the strength to lift herself back into it so he gently picked her up and laid her on the bed. Throughout this whole time, "Vers" found herself entranced by him. By his gold eyes. She had never seen anyone with such brilliant eyes. She glanced down, her cheeks flushing, when she realized that she had been staring.  Beautiful, rich, striking eyes that could entrance anyone in its wake. The man didn't know how to react. His pause said that much. "I am Yon Rogg. I found you on a planet after the invasion of the Skrull." She blinked. The words he uttered were not making sense and Yon could see this. "What do you remember?" he asked as he sat her up to fix the pillows behind her. 

"Skrull..." She paused. The name did sound familiar. She didn't like the sound of it. It made her feel angry. "That sounds familiar... I.... I don't like them..." She frowned. 

"You lost a lot of blood. I gave you mine," he spoke.

No wonder she was sore. She gave him a hesitant smile, grateful to Yon Rogg's sacrifice. "Thank you." She paused, wondering what their relationship was exactly. Why would a stranger --- well, she wasn't sure if she was a stranger to him --- why would he give his blood to her? He... He saved her but what was the reason? She must have meant something to him or this "Vers" person who he associated her with.  "Yon-Rogg?"

He glanced up. "Call me, Yon."

"Yon....What am I to you?"

He paused, knowing that he could say plenty of things. A friend, a companion, a mate, a subordinate.... so many options to choose from... But which one would be easy to convince her of? He was unsure of how intimate he wanted to get with the Terran... That was something the Supreme Intelligence had cautioned him against because it feared that he could develop "feelings" for Vers. Feelings were weak, he had decided or so he had admitted to the Supreme Intelligence. He wasn't sure if feelings made him weak. That was what he had been taught from his Academy days as a young boy. He often pushed his feelings to aside. His position in Starforce required him to not rely on his emotions to make decisions. Regardless of his internal monologue, he knew that Vers was invaluable. "Precious," he spoke before catching himself. Those words could mean something entirely different. He smiled stiffly. "I am your commander and you are a member of my crew. I value my crew."

Vers seemed to buy it. She smiled which caused Yon's normal stoic facial expression to run a little lighter. The edges of his lips curled up slightly in a half-smile when he saw her smile. He was relieved that the blood transfusion had worked. He had been unsure if his blood and her blood would be compatible. "Thank you, commander."

"Call me, Yon," he nodded. "Now rest. I'm sure you'll have more questions later." He waited beside her bed until she fell asleep. Then standing up, he gently caressed the back of her head before pulling the blanket over her body. He took a seat in the chair beside his bed, glad that he had chosen to take her back to his apartment instead of the hospital. The nurses would have assumed that they were mates and that would have put the Terran and himself in a tricky and vulnerable situation that he aimed to avoid. He sighed, leaning back, and watching the female Terran rest peacefully.  

She was his responsibility from this moment on. After all, he had brought her back to his home world which was something that the Supreme Intelligence disagreed with but he had somehow managed to convince the Supreme Intelligence of his decision. He heard his Starforce communicator vibrate from his wardrobe. "Duty calls, Vers," he muttered as he stood up from his chair and then crossed the room to it. He frowned when he saw who requested his presence. Ronan the Accuser wished to speak with him. 

Great.