Work Text:
Secrets
By Iocane
"Tell me again why we're here?" Max looked down the edge of the steep wall of the mountain. Moving carefully and slowly, he inched his way along the narrow ledge he was on. Dureena led the way several feet a head of him, with no apparent trouble.
She looked back at him. "Because I like watching you squirm."
"Very funny. You wouldn't get Gideon to order me down here just to watch me squirm." Max's foot slipped on a rock, but he caught himself in time.
Dureena barely suppressed a smile at Max's look of wounded indignation. "Don't worry. We'll be there in a minute. Careful, there's a short gap here."
"I see it."
They continued in silence. Several minutes later, having crossed the gap safely, Max felt the dirt begin to slip beneath his feet. Desperately trying to regain his footing, he reached for something to grab. "Uh, Dureena-" He couldn't finish because at that moment he began to slide towards the ground. "Help!"
He looked up just to see Dureena leaning to help. He reached for her hand, but already he'd fallen too far.
Max groaned as he felt his leg hit a large rock. The snap of his bone breaking was audible. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he slid to a stop. His leg throbbed with pain and he ached all over. "Dureena?" He called, trying to keep the pain from his voice. "Dureena, are you up there?"
"No. I'm down here." Dureena stood beside Max, looking down at him. Raising her hand, she tapped the link. "Dureena to Excalibur, we have a problem."
"Excalibur here." Matheson's voice came over the link. "We're having some problems up here too. What's up?"
"Mr. Eilerson's fallen, and he can't get up. We need a shuttle to take him back to the ship."
"That's not possible right now Dureena. Excalibur is having some difficulties. We can't send any shuttles to the surface for several hours.
"What?!"
"I'm sorry. That's all I can tell you. Find a place to wait it out. Excalibur out."
"Dammit!" Dureena kicked a nearby pile of rocks. She looked again at Max, who was laying back, his eyes closed. "Max, you okay?" She knelt beside him.
His eyes cracked open. "Let's see. My leg is broken. I have more bruises then a Narn has spots. I'm stranded on an unknown planet with my favorite person." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "I'm just peachy." He threw a rock.
"Sorry I asked." Standing again, she looked around. "I'll be back." She ran off quickly.
Max sighed a lay back again. Closing his eyes, he tried to push down the pain.
Of all the people to see him at his most helpless, why her?
Shaking his head, he wondered where that thought came from. Not that he didn't like Dureena - he had great respect for her. But until now, he'd never really cared what she thought of him. He was used to people not liking him.
"I found some caverns a little ways that way. And I found some wood. We can splint your leg."
"I thought your people avoided caverns."
"We do. I'm staying here, you can go to the cave on your own." She knelt and laid out two sticks. "We need to set it."
Moving quickly, Max sat up, grimacing in pain. "No. That's okay. Leave it."
"Leave it? Max, if that bone doesn't get straightened, it'll heal crooked."
"I'll live." His voice took on a hard quality she'd never heard before.
Dureena sat, leaning back, away from his leg. "What's the matter? Why are you willing to risk a lot more pain and your leg healing improperly?
Max gritted his teeth. "The pain isn't that bad. And we're not going to be here forever, Doctor Chambers can fix it when we get back to the ship." His hands were balled into fists, his knuckles white.
"Not until I set this leg." She crossed her arms and waited.
"Fine. If you won't help me, I'll go myself." With that, Max pushed himself up, trying to stand. Accidentally putting weight on his bad leg, he screamed and fell to the ground. He sat in silence for a minute, bent over his leg, his face hidden.
The movement pulled his pant leg up a few inches, revealing his ankle. Dureena thought she saw a glint of metal and looked closer. From what she could see, there was a metal bracelet on his leg, with a narrow bar along his skin running out of sight. "You have a brace." She said softly.
He turned his head to face her, pain marked clearly in his features. "How do you know?" His voice was low and harsh.
Slowly, she leaned forward, laying her fingers on the cold metal.
Max pushed her hand away and pulled the fabric back down over the metal. "It's nothing."
"Bullshit it's nothing. Why won't you tell me Max?"
"I said it's nothing!" He shouted, sitting up and looking at her. Turning his head away from her, he brought his hands together. A moment later, he sat back and sighed, his eyes closed.
For several moments he lay silently, Dureena sitting close, saying nothing.
"You're right." His eyes were still closed, his voice was quiet.
Dureena looked at him quizzically.
"It's a brace." Max opened his eyes and stared up at the sky. "You know I was born and raised on Mars. I didn't leave until I was 25. By then it was ..." He took a deep breath. "It was too late for me to be able to function unaided in an Earth-normal environment."
He glanced over at Dureena. "Normally, someone can slowly build up their muscles until they can function normally. But the doctors said I would never be able to. So I looked all over for another way -- I wasn't going to be confined to one planet for the rest of my life. I finally found that some doctors had designed a body brace for people like me. I brought one and left Mars. The first one was bulky and obvious - I hated it. People treated me like a cripple. Over the years they became better. Now with this one, no one has to know. No one on Excalibur knows, except Doctor Chambers and she's promised never to put in the official logs. And now you.
He looked away, sighing.
Dureena sat in silence for a moment, absorbing what she'd heard. Finally she straighten up. "I promise, your secret's safe with me. Now, can I set this leg before it gets worse?"
Max looked at her, gratefulness mingled with pain on his face. "Yes, please." He spoke barely above a whisper.
Some time later, she finished tying his splint in place. "Ready to go?" She leaned down to help him to his feet.
"As ready as I'll ever be." He wrapped an his left arm around her shoulder and pushed himself up off the ground with his right.
Together they stood up, Dureena's arm wrapped firmly around his waist. Max leaned heavily on her as they made their way slowly to the cave.
: "You're stronger than you look." Max commented after a moment.
"I'm a lot of things I don't look." Was all she said.
Finally they made it to the cave. Dureena helped him sit beside a boulder, allowing him to sit up. Once he was settled, she sat beside him. "What now?"
"Well, all we need is a fire and some marshmallows."
"Marshmallows?"
"They're an Earth food. Well, a dessert really. They're small and white and ... fluffy in a way. You see, it's an Earth tradition that when you go camping, you put some marshmallows on a stick and toast them in a fire."
"I see. Well, unfortunately, both fire and ... marshmallows are out. You're wearing the only wood I could find. I'm going to try the Excalibur again.
"Dureena to Excalibur. You still having problems?"
"Excalibur here. Yes, we're still having problems. I still can't be specific, sorry Dureena." Matheson was apologetic. "You're going to be stuck there for a few more hours. Excalibur out.
Max, who had heard the conversation, sighed. "Still stuck."
Dureena nodded. She stood and began pacing the cave. Finding nothing of interest, she returned to sit beside Max, facing him.
"Dureena?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry I snapped before. It's not easy for me to be this ... helpless in front of anyone. Already no one likes me, but I feel like if people know about the brace, they'll pity me."
"I understand. Everyone has things they'd rather the universe didn't know." She looked away, remembering her own secret.
"So, we have several hours to kill. What do you suggest?" Max asked, looking out the mouth of the cave at the sky. "Hey, come here for a second. Look out there." He pointed to the orangish sky.
"What?" Dureena leaned close, following his arm. "I see a cloud."
"Yeah, and doesn't it look like a profile of a Minbari?" Max chuckled.
Dureena looked at him. "I'd say 'It looks like the medication is working' but you're not on any."
Max held up his left arm, showing his silver bracelet. "It's part of the brace system. It can inject small amounts of pain killers into my system to compensate when I need to do more than the brace can handle. I've got it set to maximum."
"Okay." Dureena wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling the cold.
Max noticed her motion and he too began to feel the cold. Seeing Dureena, he began to take his heavy IPX jacket off. Handing it too her, he said "Here. It's getting colder."
"No thanks, I-I'm fine." She tried to hide her shivering.
"No, you're cold. Now take it, please." He leaned slightly and put it on her lap.
"Thanks." She quickly slid into the jacket, which made her look even smaller. "Aren't you cold?"
"Nah." He lied. "I'll be okay.
"I never would have expected a gesture like this from you."
"I'm hurt. My parents my have been callous, pressuring and neglectful, but they *did* raise a gentleman. Besides, you know my dirty little secret, I want to stay on your good side." He smiled briefly.
Dureena chuckled. "You're right, I do." She remembered a recent trip to Praxis 9, the shuttle ride back with the captain and "Target" when she'd asked how he'd *really* gotten Eilerson to go along with it.
"What are you thinking about?"
A smile played at Dureena's lips. "Nothing." She giggled. Despite the jacket, she was still feeling the cold.
"Come on, I'm in pain, I could use a laugh."
"I'm not sure you'd find it funny."
"Uh-oh ... A joke about me, isn't it?"
"Don't flatter yourself. It's nothing." She shuffled along the floor, leaning against the same boulder Max was leaning against. She couldn't see his face, nor he hers. To her left, she could see his good leg, bent up, his arm resting on it.
"C'mon., tell me ... I can take it. I've got a broken leg and I've had to tell my biggest secret, what can be worse than that?"
"I promised Gideon I wouldn't tell."
"Gideon? What's he got to-" Max stopped in mid sentence. "He told you something, didn't he?" He swore. "Alright. What did he say?"
"Well, remember Praxis 9?"
"Oh god."
"He used a very interesting data crystal to distract the guards ... On the shuttle back I asked where he got it from."
"Dammit. Well, that explains why he couldn't give the crystal back. So who else knows?"
"Just me and Gideon I think."
"Well, this is wonderful. I can only dread what you two must think of me *now*. Especially you." He sighed.
After a moment, Dureena spoke, her voice soft and quiet. "I kind of liked what little I saw."
"Hmm?"
"Not that I had time, but that scene with the Pak'ma'rah, while not my thing, is quite interesting."
"Hmph. You should see the Centauri one."
"Centauri?" She moved to face him again, her legs crossed, one knee pressing against his hip.
"Yes. It's fascinating ..." He glanced at her and blushed. "From-from a totally scientific view." He looked away quickly.
"Max, when I was a sl-" She stopped and took a breath, muttering. "Well, a secret for a secret. When I was a slave on Praxis and after, I learned that sexual preferences had no bearing on who a person was." She looked at him, waiting for him to face her.
Finally he did. "You were a slave? How did you --?"
"I was brought by a member of the thieves guild who recognized my talent. He promptly freed me and made me his apprentice. So now you know my 'dirty little secret'."
"I promise I won't tell anyone."
"I know."
As they spoke, they'd been leaning imperceptibly closer. Max noticed her closeness and studied her face. His eyes roamed from her straight nose down to her full lips. He was struck with an impulse to kiss her. Unconsciously, he licked his lips. Max saw her leaned closer, and met her half way, their lips pressing together. He inhaled her scent as his left hand reached over to rest on her neck. Dureena leaned closer, a hand coming to rest on his chest.
They parted after a moment, looking at each other. Max shifted slightly and kissed Dureena again, his hands cupping her face, sliding back up into her hair.
She purred softly, her hand on his chest sliding up to his neck, caressing. She felt his tongue pressing gently at her lips and parted them, allowing him entry. She gasped as he skillfully explored her mouth, taking her breath away.
Max ran his fingers through her silken hair as he kissed her. Her mouth was sweet as he explored it slowly, taking his time. He felt her move closer and moved one hand to her back, holding her close.
After several moments they parted, both breathing heavily. "You kiss even better than you dance." Dureena said breathlessly.
"Thanks ..." Max gently kissed her jaw. "You don't do too bad yourself." He slowly, exquisitely, made his way to her ear, nipping gently at the lobe. He was rewarded by a gasp of pleasure.
Dureena's fingers expertly undid the top buttons of his shirt, slipping her hand inside.
Max moved his lips back to hers, continuing his thorough exploration of her mouth as his hands slowly crept up her sides, cupping her breasts through her shirts. He could feel her nipples beaded in the cool air and ran his thumbs over them.
Suddenly, the link chirped, causing them to jump apart. "Excalibur to Dureena. The problems have been solved, we can send a shuttle for you. It'll be there shortly.
"Uh, thanks. We'll be here."
"Right. Excalibur out."
For a moment, they looked at each other in silence. Neither spoke, nor moved.
Finally Dureena stood. "I'll go wait outside so they can find us."
Max nodded
. After she left, he buttoned his shirt.
A short time later, they were picked up and shuttled back to the ship.
=========
Dureena was in her quarters several hours later, pacing slowly. She kept trying not to think about what had happened, but her mind kept returning to that moment when their lips met. She could still feel his hands in her hair. If she closed her eyes, she could feel --
The door sounded.
Taking a second to compose herself, she sat. "Come."
The door hissed open. She looked up to see Max standing there. His pants were bulky where his leg had been put into a cast. He leaned on a cane. "Dr. Chambers just let me out." He stepped into the room, letting the door close.
They stood in silence.
"Apparently the Excalibur took quite a beating." Dureena said.
"Yes. Though the Rangers didn't report this planet as belonging to anyone."
"I imagine Gideon was surprised when they showed up, shooting trespassers on sight."
"A lot of surprising things happened today." Max wasn't talking about the ship anymore.
"Yes." Dureena stood and faced him.
"I ... I'd like to apologize for what happened --"
"There's no need-" Dureena cut him off.
"Let me finish. As I said, I'd like to apologize, but in all honesty, I can't. You only apologize for things you didn't mean or want to do." He gazed at her, letting her read the full meaning of his words.
When she didn't respond after a moment, Max sighed. "I don't know when it started, but I've been ... Falling for you for quite some time Dureena. While I may have wished for different circumstances, I would be a liar if I said I regretted kissing you."
"I ... I don't know what to say. Max I .."
"I know ... I'll leave. We can forget anything happened. I'm used to keeping to myself." He turned towards the door.
"Max!" She reached for his hand, stopping him. "Don't go. Please."
He stopped, feeling the warmth of her hand pressed against his.
"Part of me wanted to let you walk out of here, to put it behind us, but I can't. It' s not that easy." She looked up into his eyes. "I don't *want* to put it behind us."
Dureena stepped closer and rested her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around him. She felt his arms around her, holding her tight. "I *do* care." She said. "More than I ever expected." She looked up at him again. "And you don't know how much that scares me."
"It scares me too. When everyone doesn't like a you, you learn not to like them, so you're caught off guard when you find yourself lo- Liking someone as much as I like you."
After a moment of holding each other, Dureena asked. "So where do we go from here?"
"Well, I suggest sitting down. This cast isn't improving my condition any."
"Sitting down sounds good. What did Doctor Chambers say about ... exercise?" She smiled and Max felt his pulse speed up.
"She said to stop if it hurts."
Dureena's voice was deep and sultry. "I'll just have to make sure it doesn't hurt then." She led him towards her bedroom.
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