Reversal {Star Trek Enterprise Mirror Universe fan fiction}

I Hate Promises

But it wasn't quite time to get up.

He rolled over once, no PADD in hand this time.

Directed dreaming, he thought. "I could try that,” he said softly to the darkness.

It was a white room. Whiter than white. Blinding. Not even like a white star, for hot, white stars are bluish.

There was no blue. It was unrelenting whiteness. The essence of white.

He sniffed the air.

There was a scent. Another dream-that-is-more-than-a-dream, Doug thought.

But the odor was acrid, and was making his eyes tear.

"Where are you?" he called. "Where are you? Where are you?"

For the last piece of the dream, he typed a little more on the PADD, but it was getting foggy and fading from view.

This time, when he awoke, he could not get back to sleep no matter how hard he tried.

=/\=

"That alien is dangerous." Yimar complained, just outside the room.

"Where is Mommy?" asked Chelben.

"She's, uh, um, sleeping."

There was a crash in the other room.

"Chelben! Stay here! Father, I'm coming!" Yimar cried out, leaving the child and running into the room.

=/\=

Doug pulled on sweatpants and went over to the ship's gym. He hadn't been there in a while. Despite the early hour, Crewman Cutler was there with Jun. "Here, now," she said to the child, "you play with this. Hit it really, really hard,” she said, bringing down a speed bag to his height that was almost as big as he was.

She straightened up and nodded slightly.

Doug went over to the free weights. He was bent over to grab a larger barbell when he heard voices behind him.

"C'mon!" said the male voice. "It's not like you've got any other offers."

"No. I gotta watch the kid. And I already got a man."

"An imaginary one? You won't get any other offers." the man teased.

Doug turned around. "Delacroix," he said calmly, "she's not interested."

"You really expect me to believe that?" Delacroix asked. "You and I both know the only reason any of the women come to the gym is when they're lookin' for some action. And I'm just the right fella to give ya some, eh Cutler?" he got up in her face even though he was shorter than she was.

She turned her face away. "Oh, and the black eye? It is one serious turn-on." Delacroix added. "I could give you a matching one, ya know."

Cutler bent over. "Jun! Stop playing with that, it's time to go."

"Nuh!" yelled Jun. He was having too much fun hitting stuff.

"C'mon!" Delacroix grinned, grabbing her.

"Crewman!" Doug said, “Leave her alone."

"Oh? And whaddaya gonna do about it, Old Man?" He straightened up but was still considerably shorter than Doug.

"I don't fight children,” Doug spat out, turning away and giving Cutler a quick look.