Disclaimer: The Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea characters are not mine, just borrowed for this story.
Reviews are always welcome.
And Then the Moment Comes
It was the Nelson Institute for Marine Research annual charity ball. This Friday night event saw the entire senior staff of NIMR, several representatives from the navy and scientific community, government officials, as well as charitable benefactors and the usual representatives of the local high society. The evening was typically filled with fine food, wine, dancing, and the required socializing that Nelson encouraged his officers to perform on behalf of the Institute.
It wasn't the worst way to spend an evening thought Lee Crane who would rather be somewhere out in the ocean on his sleek sub. His current flavour of the week seemed to enjoy the chance to socialize with those present. It wasn't that Crane wanted a different girl at every port or a new one on his arm at every event, but it was hard to maintain meaningful long long-term relationships when most of his time was spent at work. Rebecca could be the exception to this rule. Things had been going well for the last two months. His current happiness did make him feel rather guilty tonight.
All through dinner he watched Chip Morton, executive officer and his best friend, sit quietly only giving brief answers when addressed. The man was clearly miserable. Earlier that week the tall blond had been looking forward to bringing his current girlfriend, the lovely Jenna, to the benefit. Jenna loved big parties, dinner and dancing and Chip could also introduce her to his colleagues. The Captain had already been given the pleasure of meeting the woman that had been making his friend happy for the last four months. Lee suspected the word lovely would no longer be used to describe Jenna. Five days ago she informed Chip that she preferred the company of a young doctor she had met a month ago.
Crane didn't have a chance to talk to his friend much at dinner; Nelson had asked him to chat up Mrs. Winston, one of the Institute's largest donators. After dinner didn't offer any opportunities either and he watched Chip head out to the balcony while he tried to excuse himself from the conversation with Admirals Nelson and Clark, without success.
It was a clear night, the stars were shining bright and a cool breeze was blowing. Morton leaned against the balcony railing staring off into the distance. The soft melody of the music and laughter from guests filtered outside, but it did not disrupt Chip's thoughts.
"Want to talk about it?" came the soft, gentle voice of Ryan. She stood by the railing in her little black dress with her black hair pulled back, cascading down her back in soft waves. Her diamond earrings and necklace sparkled in the moonlight. If it had been any other night Chip would have thought she was the picture of beauty and grace, but tonight he was preoccupied with more pressing thoughts.
The question startled Chip. He hadn't heard anyone come out on the balcony. He wasn't sure how long he had let his mind wonder.
"Not a lot to talk about," was the simple reply.
"Maybe, maybe not. You could always try me." Ryan turned from watching the waves kiss the beach to face Chip who continued to stare off at the horizon.
"It's a lovely night; you don't want me to ruin it with tales of heartbreak and self pity."
"Misery loves company, and I am willing to be your company. Besides, if I have to listen to another story about Mrs. Winston's cat . . . I might be on the verge of not being polite," she offered with a heart-warming smile.
Ryan Mackenzie was Nelson's personal assistant and had been with NIMR for the last four years. Her duties included organizing the Admiral's schedule, standing in for Nelson at different events and meetings while he was out at sea, business research, and any other odd jobs the Admiral could dream up. The wide variety or of duties that Ryan performed allowed her to form relationships with most or of the crew and all or of the senior staff of Seaview. Despite her friendship with most of the employees of NIMR, she still managed to maintain an air of mystery about her and her personal life.
"It's the same old story, boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy thinks things are going well, girl tells boy she's been having an affair with someone much more exciting and interesting for about a month," the wounded officer offered.
"That bitch!" blurted Ryan.
Chip turned and smiled at Ryan. He didn't think he'd ever heard her swear before, but she did hit the nail on the head.
"Chip, of all the things in the world that you could be possibly lacking, excitement and interest are not among them. Any girl that tells you otherwise is clearly not the girl for you."
"That's sweet of you, but it's not the first time that has been cited as the reason for the demise of my relationships."
Ryan stared at the XO for a few moments. Her concerned expression turned to a smile as she grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go."
"Where are we going?" asked Chip somewhat confused as she dragged him back into the ballroom and towards the back of the room.
"Somewhere where I can show you how wrong you and she, who shall remain nameless, are about you," stated Ryan as though there was never a doubt about it.
"But what about the party? The Admiral expects all of us to be here. He's going to be less than thrilled if he finds out we snuck out. Besides, I didn't even want to be here tonight, I really don't think I want to go anywhere else besides home," complained the exec.
Ryan stopped just before the door to the kitchen. "Chip, we need to fix a broken heart and we can't do it at this monkey suit gathering. The Admiral is keeping a somewhat close eye on the front door to prevent our early escapes to freedom but he does not pay too much attention to the side exits. Every event goes the same way: Mrs. Winston talks about her cat, Admiral Lockerbie has a little too much to drink and starts to flirt with Mrs. Alben, the trophy wife of Mr. Alben who is too busy telling everyone how his company is going to take over the world with its ingenuity, Admiral Stark will say something snarky to Lee, some pretty daughter of a rich tycoon will spend the night dancing with O'Brien and some scientist will discuss a possible venture for Seaview and the Institute. So when Nelson mentions that he didn't see you after nine o'clock just bring up one of those topics and he'll believe you were here."
"I don't know about this Ryan," wavered Chip wavered.
"Hey, if the Admiral gets mad, you just let me know and I'll deal with Sparky!"
"Sparky?" puzzled Chip.
"Never mind, I'm sworn to secrecy." With a somewhat evil grin she replied, "Someone needs to show you just how exciting and interesting you can be and I need a partner in crime. Besides have I ever steered you wrong before sailor?" And with that she pulled him through the kitchen door and down the stairs to the back exit.
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