Resistance is futile (I)

Matt's first sensation as he awoke the next morning was a dreamily relaxed and satiated feeling that he didn't quite recognise. He rolled over to see Anna's sleeping face, her hair splayed out down the back of her naked body and his first thought was, what a pleasant dream. He put his hand down over her hip and pulled slightly trying to get closer. Anna sleepily responded to his advance by snuggling closer towards him. Matt exhaled a little sadly wondering when this dream was supposed to end.

The first inkling he had that it wasn't a dream was when Anna playfully wiggled her buttocks to indicate her awareness of his arousal and giggled. No dream was this awesome he thought and besides aren't you supposed to wake up the instant you realise your dreaming? What clinched it for Matt was the sudden sound of something breaking on the floor as he looked up and saw Ian standing at his door, his mouth wide open and whatever he had been carrying forgotten.

At that point Matt and Anna moved very fast, Anna under the covers and Matt as far away from Anna as possible. He managed to get one foot out of bed, and stumbled naked out of bed his other foot hitting the tile and sending him hurtling backwards into the ensuite section of his bedroom. Ian winced and turned around, horrified at not only seeing Matt's man-tackle by accident. But more what it meant that he and Anna were in bed together. As well as the nagging sensation that something was very wrong.

Matt managed to right himself and opened the walk in wardrobe and ducked into it, grabbing clothes at randomn to cover his nakedness. "Ian, I'll be out in a minute. I can explain man."

"You're damn straight you've got some fast talking to do. Ohh and you owe Becca a glass bake dish by the way. "

"Fine," Matt said, "Give me a minute to get dressed. Put on the kettle and we can discuss this over a cuppa."

Ian hesitated for a moment before he realised that Matt probably wanted a bit of privacy to talk to Anna before he fessed up what was going on. While he was impatient to hear Matt's explaination about Anna, Ian was more concerned about how well Matt was recovering. Though he couldn't be that sick if he could keep a fit girl like Anna occupied. That thought stayed stuck in Ian's mind as he headed out to the kitchen.

Matt waited for Ian to leave the door and now decent he walked out and leaned over the bed as Anna popped her head back out from under the covers. She looked up at him with a uncertain and sad expression and Matt hoped onto the bed and cuddled her. "Don't worry baby, he'll come around and I think we've also just found our Science Officer."

Anna smiled at him before saying, "Go talk to your bestfriend, I'll be alright. I'll meet you down at the ship?"

Matt said "Yeah, sounds like a plan. Love you," then he gave her a quick kiss and stood up, squared his shoulders and walked out to face the firing squad.

When Matt reached the kitchen he found Ian pacing back and forth furiously as the kettle started to boil, his jaw working as he muttered under his breath. His state of mind so frantic that his thoughts boiled over to the surface. Matt silently made two cups of tea while Ian furiously paced and muttered, his breath being exhaled so furiously that it sounded almost like a horse snorting.

Matt continued to wait patiently and as Anna slipped out the back door Ian caught a glance of her and stopped cold. "How long has THIS been going on?" Ian said through clenched teeth, his voice practically dripping venom. "Because if this is what caused Scott the beat the living bejesus out of you, not only would I not have keyed his car, I might have even helped. What the hell man, not a freaking word of this."

"I'm your best friend, well I thought I was. I told you when Becky and I hooked up. Not a freaking word. How long have we known each other. For God's sake, I even helped you get over that bitch in the first place when she broke you like a pretzel stick." Ian kept pacing frantically, the words nearly tumbling over themselves as he gestured explosively, furious at what he considered a betrayal.

Matt sipped his tea quietly until Ian had run out of steam and having not been acknowledged started to stare at him with a look of I'm waiting sunshine. Matt put his cup down and looked up at Ian with an expression he had never seen before. One of fierce determined anger, that smouldered way down from the soul, up through the eyes and fixed Ian in place like a snake does to it's prey. It completely caught Ian offguard and he hesitantly swallowed and took an unconcious step back.

"I have been in love with that woman for over four years. I have watched her date idiot after scumbag and suffered in silence. I was beaten to within an inch of my life for the love I bear for her. Yet on the morning after we FINALLY manage to get together, which by the way was the happiest moment of my life. Instead of cheering me on like my BEST FRIEND should be doing. He is here in my kitchen accusing me of improper conduct."

Ian found that despite all the anger he had been feeling a mere moment ago, he could no longer meet Matt's eyes. Shamed at his reaction he nervously sipped his tea before saying. "You're right, I'm sorry....It's just when Scott gets hold of this he might come back to finish the...job." Ian stuttered to a halt as the inconsistencies in Matt's physical condition finally broke the fore of his thought process's. The image of Matt beaten near to death, flashed with the image of him falling out of bed jarred together until he burst out. "What the frack. Where the hell are you bruises. A week ago you were in hospital beaten within an inch of your life, now not a scratch. No one heals that fast, I want an explaination or are you going to try and fob me off with the love of a good woman and a night's rest excuse."

Matt sighed, he knew Ian would eventually put it all together now that he had gotten over the sight of Anna in his bed. "Ian, I want you to listen to what I have to say to you, and not say a word or ask a single question until I'm done ok?"

Ian nodded his head but said, "This had better be good."

Matt grinned at him and said, "Ohh it is..." Before proceeding to tell him in the no-nonsense clipped military phrases everything that had happened to him yesterday afternoon. The Bot, the ship the skrill, Anna everything.

Ian did as he promised, he listened and listened hard to every word. Weighing it in his mind, considering every angle every detail until about five minutes after Matt stopped speaking he finally said. "Bullshit" and then he punched Matt as hard as he was capable of in the jaw.