Bite

By Zuzu Petal

AN: Send help. I've gone off the deep end.

Gabriel hated and loved her all at once. She had stayed, she was his. She had said only in mind but... well, there were ways around the other thing.

She was hurt, a snarl at her lips when they cuff her. For her protection of course, but she scoffed at the empty sentiment. She was lead away though she struggled. He didn't want her to see what he was about to do. Or maybe it would've been better for him to let her watch him sever Pippa's head from her neck.

No... he chose to protect her from that. That's all he had ever done since he fallen into that hellscape. Her universe could never be his. But perhaps together his could become theirs, again.

When he comes to her she's sitting on the edge of the bed, her elbows on her knees. Her breastplate is gone, the phaser holster in a pile near the wall. She threw it in anger, he was sure of it.

He's nervous, but he can see her better in this light. In her universe the light had been so blinding until he saw her again. It had left him feeling full and empty.

Full that he saw her again, empty that she wasn't his.

"Is it done?" She asks, her voice even and calm, staring straight ahead.

"Done." He answers, lowly.

Michael sighs and lowers her head, shaking it.

"You didn't have to do this." She breathes. He laughs spitefully, but to her he's sure he sounds like some evil genius. It wasn't genius, it was destiny.

"Letting her live would have only bred more death. And she had it comin' anyway."

He takes careful steps towards her, but keeps a distance. She's like a tiger in a cage. She doesn't have to look at him to know where he is.

"I can't live here." She tells him.

"You'll adjust." He promises. "You won't be alone."

Michael finally looks at him, rises but doesn't come to him. Not like he wished she would.

"Am I your prisoner?" She asks him.

"That's a difficult question to answer. Are you going to try and escape?"

"What do you think?"

Gabriel bites the inside of his cheek, another step. She's holding her ground. It's not like when they first met. He had tested the waters then, she had retreated. But not now. Good, that's how his old Michael had been.

"I'm not your lover." She tells him firmly.

"No. You're not. You're different." He assures her, wishing he could touch her. Did she know how painful it had been for him to love her so madly and let her love someone else? So many times he had wanted to put a stop it, so many times he could have. But he didn't.

"If you love me let me go." She says and he shakes his head.

"I already did once and I lost more than you can imagine."

Michael goes to the viewing window, putting distance between them, refusing to look at him.

"You don't believe it's possible now, Michael, but in time you could-"

"What?" She snaps her head in his direction, her anger finally boiling over. "Love you?" She laughs and it hurts. "I could never love you. You abused my trust, you abused your position. You could've come to me for help, you could've told me-"

"And you think your precious Starfleet wouldn't have exploited their chance at discovering a new universe? Bringing their war into my backyard?" He raises his voice equally, challenging her.

"That's not who we are. You know that's not who I am." She parries. His upper lip curls into snarl and he comes towards her with purposeful steps. She readies herself for a fight when he stops feet from her. He doesn't touch her, he doesn't attack her. He simply makes his presence known.

"I know who you are, Michael," he tells her and she's reminded of their first meeting. "But them? They're fools. They think they can hold entire worlds together through unity and good faith. But I've seen good faith turn to ash before my very eyes. Excuse me if I don't hold the same idealism your Federation does."

Michael sighs deeply.

"And I think I know you, Lorca," she spits bitterly, not using his rank or even his first name. "And I know something from my universe rubbed off on you. Why else would you have allowed me to spare the rebels lives?"

Something inside Gabriel fractures and he reaches out to grab her arm, yanking her towards him. She tries to fight him off but he stronger, pressing her against the bulkhead.

"I was playing a part," he snarls in her face and she tries to turn away from him but he won't let her. "I was being your good hearted, righteous Captain Lorca for you. You think I care about a few thousand rebels gettin' blown outta the sky?"

Michael finally faces him.

"Yes." She answers strongly. He shoves her away from himself and goes to the door, pausing.

"You'll be confined to quarters until further notice. Landry will see to your needs, if you have any."

He leaves her and she rages inside of herself. Discovery is a universe away, the emperor dead.

Duplicate faces haunt her. And she's trapped with a man she isn't sure is entirely mad, but who is definitely reaching a breaking point. She thinks she's gotten through to him somehow. That maybe, just maybe, he does care. That something from her universe has changed him.

Maybe... this version of herself has changed him.