"Is there a reason you felt the need to interrupt the first day of my shore leave?" The Admiral's face was twisted into a scowl, a PADD in his hand.

"You went on an away mission." She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her. She was getting pissed now.

"Yes, on orders from my captain. Anything else?" She could see him puff up with rage and help up a hand. "Spare me. I'm not some kid, and I've clearly been considered benign by Starfleet and the Federation. I'm obviously just human, so I don't need you breathing down my neck anymore."

"Just who do you think you are talking to, Ensign?" His face looked red even in the holo, and she scoffed.

"Don't try and pull rank now. You've been insufferable since I got here. I don't need a babysitter and I certainly don't need a prison guard." The Admiral opened his mouth and she cut him off. "End transmission." The holo blinked away, and she ran a hand through her hair roughly. So much for relaxing on this vacation. Her door chimed and she groaned, moving to answer it. "Listen, I'm not really in the mood-" the door opened to reveal Chris, looking a bit sheepish as he stood outside. Wordlessl, she waved him in, closing the door behind him and collapsing onto the nearby loveseat, hands over her eyes.

"I take it that wasn't a social call." Chris sat next to her, and she sat up properly, rubbing her hands down her face.

"I don't think that imbecile knows the meaning." His brow arched as he seemed to fight a smile, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I definitely shouldn't be lashing out at you." Turning to face him fully, she gave a small smile. "I may not be the best company at the moment." He nodded, an arm across the back of the loveseat that brought her drunken night to the forefront.

"I actually came to apologize." Her brow furrowed, and his face turned a bit red. "For the, um, waterfall…" The near kiss. The one real highlight to her night, and he regretted it? "I put you in an unconscionable position and I want you to know it won't happen again." It was too ridiculous; she gave a sharp laugh, standing and beginning to pace.

"Unbelievable." She glanced to him. "I know Starfleet's rules for fraternization are strict, but I would hope you would at least consider the fact that what happened worked both ways." Shaking her head, she moved to call down for room service. "I need, like, several drinks." Pike followed her, stopping her hand on the button.

"Wait, wait." She looked up and he had a goofy smile on his face. "Are you saying you wanted me to kiss you?" Pulling her hand away, she gave him a skeptical look.

"Damn, am I that bad at sending signals? I gotta work on that, I guess." Studying him for a moment, she considered everything. The Admiral was likely already trying to find a way to bring her back, maybe even to court-martial her for insubordination; her incredibly handsome captain was here in her room, trying to apologize for a kiss that didn't even get to happen. Did she really have anything to lose?

"I think maybe I'm just bad at receiving them." He pressed close again, hands on her arms. It hit her then; the Admiral would ruin them both if she let this continue. Suddenly, all her anger was gone, replaced with a deep sadness. There was no one she could risk getting close to in Starfleet, not without nuking their careers just for proximity to her. Slowly, she put her hands on his chest, pushing lightly.

"I can't." He looked confused and concerned, pulling back a bit to look at her properly. She knew her face likely showed the sadness she felt at her revelation.

"Anna?" His voice was soft. "If it's Starfleet you're worried about, we can file the paperwork if you want. Get it squared away before we do anything." She shook her head, pressing her lips together as the loneliness moved back in. "If you just tell me what you're worried about, I can help. Is it the crew? Your friends?"

"It's you." Her voice was as broken as her heart was and she gently pulled out of his arms. He held onto her wrists, like he was afraid to let go. "Your career. I can't-" The lump in her throat choked off her words.

"My career?" He looked confused now, looking over her face before realization colored those striking eyes. "The Admiral." She gave a nod, dropping her gaze to his chest. To her surprise, he pulled her into a hug, rubbing a hand along her back. "Listen, I'm not sure what kind of power you think he has, but he would have an exceptionally hard time trying to ruin my career." His deep voice resonated against her as he held her. "Not to blow my own horn, but I have an exceptional track record." She could hear the humor in his voice, knew he was trying to cheer her up. She took a deep breath, trying to get her emotions under control.

"I'm just...so sick of this!" He pulled back to look at her. "I just want to be left alone. To be able to be my own person." Anna shook her head, running her hand over his chest. "I want to at least have a chance at happiness if I'm going to be stuck here the rest of my life."

"You deserve happiness." His voice brought her back, a hand brushing along her cheek to catch tears she hadn't known had fallen. "Everyone does." She gave a small nod, and he pulled her towards the loveseat, sitting and pulling her into his lap. Something about his presence was comforting; the fact that he treated her like anyone else, like a person with feelings and dreams. Resting her head on his shoulder, she allowed him to calm her, rubbing a soothing hand over back in circles.

"You know, when you set up this shore leave, I'm sure this is the exact opposite of what you were hoping for." Her voice was quieter, and she felt the rumble of his chuckle under her head.

"Well, I have to admit I was hoping to maybe get a bit closer with you, but I think I was picturing something more along the lines of 3-D chess maybe? Or a couple of dinner conversations." His lips pressed into her hair and she let her eyes close. "It may not be exactly according to plan, but things rarely are for me. If I had to be anywhere, I'm glad I could be here to help you." She shifted carefully, not wanting to hurt him as she looked up at him, giving a small smile.

"Thank you, Captain." He gave a warm smile.

"Chris. Now, let's see if we can't salvage some part of this night." Slowly, he stood, scooping her into his arms and depositing her on the love seat. A screen sat across from the bed, and she watched as he began flipping through the available movies. Choosing one, he turned to her again. "If there's one thing I do know, it's that you probably wanna clean up a bit. I'll wait here." She nodded, headed into the bathroom. Between her red eyes and tear streaks on her cheeks, she couldn't imagine how he had possibly stuck around. She washed her face carefully, not wanting to make any of the redness worse, and let her hair down, fluffing it around her shoulders. Stepping back out, she found him stretched on the bed, back pressed against the headboard with the holo ready. Giving a small smile, she climbed up next to him, setting into his side as he raised his arm for her. It felt so good, this little bit of affection, and it occurred to her just how touch-starved she had become since she'd arrived in this time.

"Thank you, Chris." Though soft, her voice sounded infinitely better, and he kissed the top of her head. He started the holo, and she barely made it halfway through before dozing off.