This was posted on AO3 for JadeRoseWeek 2016.
Jade was going to live.
The young astronaut inhaled deeply and began to tear up. Her shoulder was in agony, but her work wasn't done yet. Jade mustered up her remaining strength and slowly made her way to the pilot seat. There was a small ladder leading up to the control station. Jade climbed up the ladder without any difficulties. She then threw herself down on the control station seat. Her arm no longer ached so Jade gave it a test stretch. It hurt like hell. Adrenaline, Jade realized. As Jade sat down on the pilot seat, the ship's receiver began beeping.
"Jade," a shaky voice said over the line. Jade knew this voice and smiled.
"Astronaut Harley," the person on the other side said. They sounded less distraught, more professional. It was like they were trying to compose themself. "Please. Harley. This is the station. Reply immediately."
Jade pulled the receiver close to her. She held onto it tighter than she should have, but it was the closest thing to home. Impulsively, Jade used her thumb and began to twirl the engagement ring on her finger. She almost dropped the receiver but fumbled it back into her grasp.
"Jade… Are you okay? There was something heading towards your ship. We couldn't… I couldn't. Dammit Jade! For once in my life I hope your narcolepsy has just gotten the best of you and you're drifting somewhere in space safe and sound and not dead. Please, please. Tell me that meteor didn't hit you. Tell me you're still okay. We can't get any visuals down here, Jade. We can't see. I can't see you."
Jade heard another voice in the background comforting the caller. She launched into action and began the process of replying to the station. She flipped a switch on the controller and held the receiver up to her ear.
"Astronaut Harley reporting in. The shuttle is fine. I managed to somehow maneuver the whole thing from the meteor's path." Jade heard murmuring from the other side. Her right shoulder suddenly erupted with pain and she hissed.
"Jade! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Jade assured. She held the receiver up with her good shoulder and use her left arm to massage herself. "My shoulder is injured. I forced the ship to lean away from the meteor's path by bashing it."
"Oh, Jade," the other said in a weary voice. "Oh my beautiful lovely, Jade."
"This is why I told you to quit this job," Jade said in a hushed tone. "I didn't want you to worry."
"This is why I had to keep the job! Honestly, Jade! Of course I'd be worried. I'm worried every single time you're sent to space. I worry if you're eating enough. If you're warm enough. I sometime worry that you'll misplace your glasses and end up pressing the wrong coordinates on that space ship of yours. I get worried when you don't remember what day it is or what time it is on Texas. There's so much to worry about, so much to think about."
Jade remained silent. Tears pooled down her cheeks.
"You're always so brave, my dear. You always go alone up there. I know, the less astronauts we send, the less risk we take. But damn it Jade! You don't have to suffer by yourself anymore! I'm here. Talk to me. I've always been your overseer, even before we got engaged. I know you, sweetheart. I know how you tend to push aside your pain so others won't worry about you. Jade, my love, I know it's scary. But you're never alone. I'm here."
"Oh god, Rose. I miss you," Jade said with a small smile on her face.
For a moment Jade is in a different time.
A few years ago, Porrim was Jade's overseer. She only called before the mission began and after the objective was completed. It was fine, really. Porrim was pretty good at what she did. The woman knew what had to be done, and what to do in emergencies. But then, Porrim was transferred over to Calliope and Jade had a new overseer. It was a last minute replacement, and before Jade could meet the new person, she was already heading up into space.
Jade didn't think much about Porrim's replacement. As long as they were informative, knew what they were doing and good at their job, Jade didn't care about who was on the other end. Jade was content with the stars and the moon. She didn't mind that not having a regular space companion like the other astronauts. She was alone with the celestial bodies, and Jade wouldn't have it any other way. That is until she got her first call from her new co-worker.
"Astronaut Harley. Are you okay? Over."
Jade grinned. Porrim never said "over" neither did she ever request a status report. Jade moved aside the small satellite part she was working on and picked up the receiver.
"Astronaut Harley reporting in. I'm approaching the damaged satellite. Nothing else to report." Jade noted that the person speaking to her was another woman. A rarity among the scientific fields of study. Jade was somewhat excited. She honestly loved making new friends at work! It made life less lonely.
Yeah. Less lonely. Jade shook the thought off.
"Oh. Um. Great… Over."
Jade laughed into the receiver. The person on the other line seemed to "hmph " then softly said "over" which made Jade laugh even harder. What a strange person.
"I don't really have to say 'over' all the time do I? Ov- Ugh."
"It's 2016! Transmissions are nearly flawless right now, especially in space! There's no need to say over unless you want to, over," Jade replied playfully.
"I should have suspected that the moment I heard Kanaya giggle. These darn co-workers and their light-hearted shenanigans. Curse them!" the speaker said with an amused tone.
"Yup, the Maryams seem all like they're all business, but they know how to have fun," Jade said with a laugh. For some reason her heart ached. She's never had family other than her late grandfather. Sometimes when the Maryams were around, it was hard not to be jealous of their close family bond. It was hard to think about how alone Jade truly was.
"What a lovely laugh," the speaker mumbled.
"Huh?" Jade was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice the comment. "Wait, can you repeat that?"
"Your laugh. It's pleasant," the speaker said hastily.
Oh. That's… certainly new. Jade felt herself blush and she's quite glad that whoever was talking to her was thousands of miles away.
Suddenly Jade sprang up from her seat. She didn't even know this woman's name! "Oh, how rude of me! I'm Jade Harley, nice to meet you and I hope we can get along!"
The speaker then laughed, probably glad that Jade had chosen to ignore the awkward confession. The laugh sounded smooth and warm and Jade would have never thought a laugh would sound so heavenly.
"I know who you are, Jade. It's nice to meet you too. My name is Rose Lalonde and I hope we can get along too."
It was strange having someone call almost twelve times the first day. Of course, Jade was alone working on a broken satellite. Her receiver kept buzzing and every single time Jade picked up.
Rose always asked, "Are you okay?"
They talked and talked. Their conversations were usually work related until slowly they started talking about their life. Jade mentioned her dog, Bec. Rose complained about her cat, Jasper.
On the second day Jade had mentioned she was cold and Rose said she knitted. Jade couldn't ignore the implied meaning beneath Rose's words. (I'll knit you something to keep you warm.) It seemed like Rose was a professional at covering up her true intentions, but somehow Jade always knew the deeper meaning.
Every time Rose called for a "status report" Jade found herself looped in on a conversation for hours. It was hard to hang up.
Jade was in space for only a month, yet it seemed like forever. For once in her life she was no longer content with the stars. She longed for her garden, Bec, the Earth and strangely enough Rose.
Now in the present, Jade sighed. "I think I should retire," the astronaut said with a smile. She can hear Rose about to speak but Jade interrupts her. "I can move back to my home island. They need science teachers, yeah? And how amazing would it be to have an ex-astronaut teach you about space! And you can come with me too, Rose!" Jade said with a soft blush. Again, eternally grateful that her fiancée isn't here to see Jade blush over a shared house.
"And Jasper and Bec already get along just fine. And you can finally write that book of yours. By the way, you said you've always wanted to see Polynesia, right? We can set our honeymoon on one of the other archipelagos! Oh, you would totally love the sunset over the Pacific Ocean! When I see that orange hue reflecting on the ocean, I think of you…"
Jade can feel her tears building up. Once again her heart is aching, but not out of pain. She can feel warmth and love and genuine affection for the person who has always been loving her from afar.
"You're in shock, Jade. They're going to send your shuttle the proper codes to auto-pilot back home."
"Yeah, I guess I am in shock," Jade agreed. She's quiet for a moment.
"I love space, but honestly I think I'd rather admire these celestial bodies from afar," Jade said. "The stars are brighter up here, that's for sure. But don't shine! Did you know that it's the Earth's atmosphere that makes stars twinkle?"
Rose sighed but doesn't say anything else.
"Nowadays, I feel like I can appreciate space more from the comfort of a store bought telescope. Wouldn't that be nice? Bec by my side, you leaning over my shoulder as I point out my favorite constellations."
"That would be very nice, Jade. How's your shoulder by the way?"
"Could be worse," Jade replied and remembered to massage her sore shoulder.
"Get some rest, sweetheart. You deserve it," Rose said.
"I want to talk to you. Just a little bit longer," Jade yawned. "I don't want to hang up."
"Me too, but you're ship isn't going to land for a few hours. It's better if you rest right now before you have to jump into the freezing Atlantic."
"Will you be on shoreline waiting for me?" Jade said with a drowsy smile. Another yawn.
"Of course. Of course I'll be waiting for you. I'll always been waiting for you."
"Good, bring a wedding gown because once I set foot on land we're totally getting married," Jade said while putting her head down. Her eyes felt heavy, and her breath began to slow down.
"I've always wanted a beachside wedding," Rose replied softly.
"I never cared where," Jade confessed. "As long as the person I married made me happy, and Rose you make me so happy."
"Jade… Go to sleep, darling. I'll wake you when you're close enough to land."
"Rose, are you happy?" Jade said quietly before finally closing her eyes. Rose is silent. Eventually Jade began to snore. Rose remained silent and kept the line up. The snores comforted the woman. It assured her that Jade was still there, but more than anything Rose wanted her girlfriend to be here.
"I used to look up at the sky in New York. It was always so dark, lonely and dull. I couldn't understand how anyone could appreciate something dimmer than the lights of the city. Even now, when I see those stars in total clarity I can't help but scoff. They were always just lights in the distance. They were always so damn far away. They can only shine for so long until the sun comes up again."
Jade. You taught me that stars were more than a futile attempt to decorate the sky. They are compasses, used to guide your ancestors across the Pacific. They are luck, used by fortune tellers to decide one's fate. They are stories, and legends. They are mysterious yet they are familiar to every child who looked up and dreamed. And my dear, Jade, I've dreamt of a young woman who was so in love with these celestial bodies, I saw her become one herself. I loved her, yet I knew I could never have her. All I could do was admire from afar.
I don't know if I was happy in that dream, but I was content."
Jade sighed in her sleep which made Rose smile.
"But, I was so in love. I had to talk to her, my star. I asked planets how I can meet her. I asked comets how I can stay with her. I jumped from solar system to solar system trying to get closer. And sometimes between asteroid belts and moons, I would hear about her. I would learn more about her. I loved her more every day.
When weeks of chasing turned into years, I realized she was always out of reach. So instead of trying to meet her, I called out to her. I asked her the first thing that came to my mind. "Are you okay?" I stared at her. Suddenly, I saw a hint of humanity. She was tired, and small. And she was lonely.
The dream is over, and it has been for a while. So as much as I love giving you admiration from afar, I think I'll be happier when I have you back in my arms."