Burnham found herself outside the Captains' quarters. What little she'd got out of Tilly had her puzzled and rather than interrogate the young woman further, she'd come to the only other person who'd been there.
Her hand stopped before it could reach the bell, as she heard her name called.
'Burnham!' Stamets smiled at her as he came round the corner. 'Here about Tilly?' He cut to the chase; the man had a way with people...and words, and it was pretty direct.
Burnham nodded, 'She's not talking.' Which to anyone who knew Tilly, meant that something was wrong.
A shadow of guilt passed his face, 'It's probably my fault.' He replied.
'Why?' Burnham was baffled. Stamets wasn't even part of the away mission.
Just then the door opened and Pike nearly bumped into them on his way out.
'Sir!' Both Burnham and Stamets jumped to attention, trying to look like they weren't lurking.
The Captain took in the sight and stifled a sigh. He gestured his officers to follow as he stepped back into his quarters. Seeing Tilly was going have to wait.
'How can I help you?' His expression was serious, as they discreetly took in their surroundings. His quarters were slightly larger than normal but he hadn't had a chance to give them a single personal touch.
'Tilly...' Burnham began.
'... is mortified by her behaviour on the planet.' Stamets jumped in.
'Why?' Pike and Burnham asked at the same time.
Stamets' eyes sparkled, 'She mentioned something about the Captain being a spoon and sharing body heat.' The phaser comment could wait.
Burnham was clearly confused but Stamets wished he could capture the look on Pike's face.
'Captain, you asked me to mentor Tilly.' He continued in the silence. 'But I think you need to speak to her.'
'What do basic survival techniques have to do with spoons?' Burnham asked, as she noticed the Captain's strange expression.
Pike took a deep breath, 'I was just on my way to see Ensign Tilly.' He admitted, 'I frightened her with a comment I made about surviving in the cold.' Seeing Burnham's continued confusion, 'I think she thought I wanted to take advantage of her.'
Stamets and Burnham looked at each other, silently deciding who was going to set the Captain straight.