Timeline Notes: Takes place just after the events of "Point of Light". All events in the episode happen as shown in the show.

She can't concentrate.

Her morning on the bridge had been uneventful enough; she'd finished reading the daily reports, preparing for tomorrow's officers' briefing, and then had spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon in a video meeting with the high commissioner.

And now she's been staring at a proposed agenda for a second contact that she really needs to send back to the Republic for Ambassador Muktahr. He'll be wanting it; that contact is coming up soon.

She's been reading the same page for ten minutes.

She can't stop thinking about Pike. And what he'd said to her the previous evening.

Especially on a night that I was really hoping was going to turn out differently.

What in the world is she supposed to do with that?

She sighs and lets her head fall down to her desk for a moment, resting her forehead on the edge between her hands. "Aaaaaaargh..."

Making the noise lets out a little bit of the frustration, at least.

She pushes herself back upright, kicking her chair back from the desk and glaring at her console. This agenda is not going to write itself. Most of what Muktahr needs to know is in her head.

But her head doesn't want to focus on that. It wants to focus on Pike's blue eyes, and his crooked smile, and those broad shoulders. And on that image of them together that her brain had oh-so-helpfully supplied back at Terralysium.

Especially on a night that I was really hoping was going to turn out differently.

Why would he say that? Now? Eighteen years later?

You know why.

She shakes her head, leaning her elbows on the desk and burying her face in her hands. This is ridiculous.

Is it, though?

She stops.

Maybe it's not so ridiculous. Before he'd shoved his foot in his mouth, that date had been going well. They'd been into each other. Is it so crazy to think that some of that has lingered? Embers that are coming back to life now?

She takes a deep breath and just lets herself think about it for a moment.

His apology had been magnificent. He's clearly...a person she could like. Very much. And really...she already does.

Is it a bad idea to fan those embers a bit and see what happens?

Screw the agenda. At least for a little while. She can work on it this evening.

"Come."

Pike straightens up from his desk, the surprise showing on his face. "Ambassador? Is everything all right?"

"As far as I know." She offers him a smile, stopping at the conference table and resting a hand on the back of one of the chairs. "I just thought that...it was about time for me to take a break and move around a little...and a cup of coffee and some company sounded like an awfully good idea. What do you think?"

"I think…" He stands. "I think that sounds like an excellent idea. What can I get you?"

"Raspberry cappuccino please?"

He sits in the chair, and she sits on the couch, and he groans as he leans back and stretches out his spine. "What's a word that's better than excellent?"

She chuckles, sipping. "I'm not sure. Stellar?"

"How appropriate." He takes a drink of his americano. "What have you been working on today?"

"I had a meeting this morning with Commissioner Ramirez. We're finally trying to hammer out some real formal standards for the CDOs." She grimaces. "After nearly eight years of the program…"

"That should help make things more consistent, at least."

"I agree." She smiles. "I have some pretty strong opinions about it. Luckily, the commissioner and I usually agree."

"It does seem strange that there's such a big difference between what each of you do."

She nods. "They were just glad to finally have enough people to staff all of the Constitution ships. There's a lot more leeway right now; I think the SDC is still at the stage of throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. But we made some progress today and we're going to keep working on it, with the goal of a full set of formal protocols by the end of the year."

"Like a list of what you're actually supposed to be doing?"

His voice has a slight bitter note, and she raises an eyebrow inquisitively. "I hear a story behind that question…"

"There isn't anything specific. I just have never really known what my CDOs do all day. You're always busy."

She shrugs. "I can always find something to do. I started studying emergency medicine a couple of years ago, when things were a little slow. Now there's something I can do to help during a crisis instead of just sitting around waiting for it to be over."

"That's another thing. I feel like you actually want to help. My CDOs not as much."

"By the way...I'm taking it that this conversation is confidential?"

"Ah...yes, please. I've given my feedback through the channels. But yes, if we could keep this between us…"

"Consider my lips sealed."

"In that case…" He settles back in the chair, propping one foot on the opposite knee and getting comfortable. "My first CDO didn't have a damn clue about a damn thing. I finally got her moved off the Enterprise after two years, but that was two years too long."

"Oh dear."

"Look, tell me if I'm wrong, but I feel like this whole program is designed to take some of the weight off of me."

"It is. That's the entire point. Some captains just don't like the diplomatic work...some of them aren't good at it...and even the ones that are have way too much to do. It's supposed to be…" She thinks for a moment. "In a way, I suppose it's like you getting a second, super-specialized XO."

"That's what I thought, when they rolled it out." He sighs. "But what do I do if I don't trust the person I've got?"

"Get someone else?"

He gives her a sideways glance. "I get along with you. What are you doing after this mission is over?"

She laughs. "I can't be on all fourteen ships. Which is why we need those formal protocols."

"That would at least give me something to lean on when I feel like mine isn't doing their job. And when I feel like they don't want to be part of the crew."

"Oh, is that a problem too?"

"You're the first CDO I've seen in uniform. I didn't even know you had uniforms. You're quartering two doors down from me on the officer deck, instead of in VIP. You have a bridge station."

She can't help starting to laugh as he goes through the list. "Is this a bad time to mention that I play on the Republic Parrises Squares team too?"

He glares at her.

"Okay, okay. I'm starting to see the problem. This is good feedback, though. I'll keep it confidential, but I'll make sure this stuff goes into the protocols." She wrinkles her nose. "Yours haven't worn uniforms? Really?"

"Really. And of course, they aren't under my command, so…"

"Right." She pauses, sips her coffee. "That is something we need to figure out sooner rather than later. Where we fit in command structure."

"Please." The word is so heartfelt that she laughs again.

"All right. Enough about the SDC. What have you been up to today?"

He blinks for a second. Someone asking about his day is strange. And...he can actually talk to her. He can talk to someone.

And she might have some insight to offer on this situation.

"Come take a look at this."

He picks up his coffee, walking back over to his desk, and she follows him, holding her cup in her hands as he pulls up the display of Spock's drawings. The "Red Angel", as they're calling it now.

She sucks in a breath, peering more closely. "Well that looks disturbingly familiar."

"I know." He steps back from the console. "We already knew that Spock - my science officer, on the Enterprise - had knowledge of these signals. But now it seems that he's seen this "Red Angel" too."

"This angel - whatever it is - gets around."

"There's some connection here. I just can't see what it is yet."

"When did Spock see the angel?"

"A long time ago. When he and Burnham were children."

"So he was the first. As far as we know now."

"We're two signals in at this point. We've got five more to track down." He flips the display back and forth restlessly. "Plus...whatever happened to you."

"Spock, Burnham, the people of Terralysium...and me." She shakes her head. "I can't see the connection either."

"It looks like we're just going to have to hold for more information." He turns off the display, sighing. "I hope Spock is all right. Wherever he is. And I hope we still have time to help him."

She nods, slowly. She's become privy to more of the details of their mission over the last day; she knows, as much as anyone does, what's happening, and he can see the sympathy in her eyes.

"All we can do is keep looking. And be here in case he comes to find help on his own."

He starts walking back towards the sitting area. "But, by the way, that's not everything that happened today…"

"Oh?" She glances down; her coffee is only half-finished. "Should I sit back down?"

"Yeah...this one's even stranger. You'll want to sit."

She does, and regards him curiously. "So?"

"Ensign Tilly."

"What about her?"

"She's…" He shakes his head, looking bewildered. "Apparently been hosting some sort of parasite?"

"Oh my…"

"She…she started yelling at me. On the bridge."

"What?!" Leah almost spits out her coffee. "All right, I shouldn't laugh, but I almost wish I were there to see that."

"I can understand. I was there. It was every bit as bizarre as you're imagining."

"That poor girl. And you said it's a...parasite?"

"That's what Stamets thinks."

"Commander Stamets? What does he have to do with a parasite?"

"It seems that it's somehow connected to the mycelial network. It's a spore."

"...right."

He nods; that had been more or less his reaction earlier. "I haven't told you the best part yet."

"I'm afraid to ask."

"You should be. It can communicate."

She stares at him for a moment. "...which means…"

"First contact."

They say it in unison, and she groans. "Which means it's my problem?"

"Not quite yet. It's in a force field in the lab right now. Stamets and Tilly are still trying to figure out what exactly it is. But if we can work out how to talk to it without someone having to host it…then yes. I'm absolutely dropping this one in your lap."

She rubs the bridge of her nose. "Oh boy. This is going to be fun."

And the strange thing is...she thinks she means it.

She looks up at him, with a smile, and he's struck again by how differently this conversation would have gone on the Enterprise. To be fair, though...it wouldn't have been going, period, because there's no way that either Salomon Muktahr or Andrya Godwin would have come to his ready room for coffee.

And company.

She drains the last of her coffee and sets the cup and saucer down on the table. "I should probably go get back to work. I'm trying to finish an agenda that needs to go back to the Republic."

"I should too." He smiles. "Thanks for coming by. This was great. I needed the break too."

She smiles back, heading for the door.

"Leah."

She stops, turns.

"I'm normally here around this time in the afternoon. In case you ever decide you'd like coffee and company again."

She bites her lip, and returns the crooked smile that he's giving her. "I do like an afternoon coffee break."