The door to the Captain's Quarters swished open, and there was Chris Pike, wearing a black tank top (which did a great job of showing off his muscular physique) and his uniform pants. He was leaning with one hand next to the door frame, and a 10-pound weight in his other hand.

"Pippa!" He exclaimed with a dashing smile. "I've been wondering if you were ever going to come see me."

Philippa was a little put-off by the nickname, since it's what Lorca had called her, but she realized it must also be what Pike called the "other" Philippa. She smiled at him, then raised her eyebrows and cocked her head a bit, indicating that she wanted to come in.

"Please." Chris said, stepping aside and sweeping his arm toward the room. Philippa sauntered past him. She looked around the room and noticed his jacket in a heap on the floor. She looked back up at him.

"Sorry about the mess." He apologized, setting down the weight and scooping up the jacket, then tossing it into the bathroom without hanging it up. Philippa also noticed a glass of some kind of alcohol on his small table.

"Got any more of that?" She asked.

"Of course." Chris walked up to the replicator. "Tequila." A short whiney rumble sound and an identical glass of tequila appeared. He picked it up and handed it to Philippa. Then he picked up his own glass, turned to her, clinked his glass with her glass, and said, "To old friends." He took a sip of his drink; Philippa downed her whole glass in one gulp. Chris had never seen her do that before. "Been that bad of a day?"

"You have no idea." She deadpanned.

Chris set his glass back down, and stepped up in front of her. He began to lean down to give her a kiss, but she held up her hand to stop. He looked confused, but then Philippa took hold of both of his hands and pulled him toward his bed. Now he understood.

"All right with you if I dim the lights and put on some music so I can catch up with you?" he said a bit sarcastically. Philippa sighed impatiently.

"If you must."

Furrowing his brows while looking at her with uncertainty, Pike said quietly, "Computer. Dim lights sixty percent, play soft guitar, and implement captain's privacy."

The lights dimmed, guitar music played softly, and a short electronic hum was heard as the door lock field engaged, now only to be unlocked by Pike's voice, red or black alert.

Chris picked up his drink and drank the last of it. Then he turned back to Philippa.

"Where would you like to start?"

"You know what I like." She stated. Chris remembered, but he had never started things with her this way before. Something wasn't right.

"It's been a while. Refresh my memory." He countered. Chris was starting to get a little ticked off, and was losing the mood quickly. He didn't remember her being this bossy, even after a hard day.

Philippa realized that this Chris Pike was not going to do things the way her Terran Chris Pike did. If they were going to continue, she was going to have to let him lead.

"All right then. You can start where you like." Philippa said, softening her tone, and tracing her finger from his chest down his torso.

That was enough for Chris. She was starting to sound a little more like what he remembered. He put his arms around her waist, and she brought her arms up around his neck. They kissed lightly at first, then more aggressively. He lowered her down on the bed, and gently began kissing the side of her neck, slowly making his way up to her ear, where he whispered, "I'm sorry you had a bad day. Time to relax now."

Philippa usually thought foreplay was a waste of time, but this Chris was so damn GOOD at it. He was being so caring and sweet. Maybe she will actually enjoy it this time.

#

Captain Christopher Pike and Admiral Katrina Cornwell entered her guest quarters, and Chris was not in a good mood.

"Okay, off the record. I want to know what's going on with Philippa. She's been acting very strange lately, and I think you know why." Chris said accusingly.

"Section 31 projects are highly classified, you know that." Kat said matter-of-factly.

"This goes beyond that, and you know it." Chris tried to calm down and appeal to her sense of friendship. "We've all known each other for a very long time. We've been through a lot together. I just spent the entire night with her, and this is not the Philippa I know." He stared into Kat's eyes intensely. "Talk to me."

"All right." Kat sighed. "You have a right to know." She sat down on her sofa. "You might want to sit down for this too."

Chris remained standing. "Just tell me."

"I know what you're going through, Chris. I've been there myself with Gabe. I spent an entire night with him and felt something wasn't right also." She looked at Chris, hoping he'd figure it out without her having to say more, but Chris just kept staring at her, waiting for her to finish.

"Michael Burnham brought Philippa Georgiou back with her from the Terran Universe. She's from the other side, just like Gabe Lorca."

Chris was stunned. That's not what he had imagined the problem was. His head was spinning. He decided that he should sit down after all. He sat down on the sofa next to Katrina.

"That's why she seemed like a different person. She IS a different person." Chris clarified it in his own mind as he spoke. Kat nodded sadly. "So our Philippa really is gone then?" Chris asked quietly, even though he knew what the answer would be.

"I'm so sorry, Chris. Happened just like originally reported."

"Damn it." Chris whispered, frustrated. Then he angrily slapped both hands on his thighs as he stood up. He was going to have to grieve for her all over again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you sooner, Chris. I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out, but I'm bound to the Section 31 protocols. I shouldn't even be telling you this now, but I believe you have a need and a right to know."

"How long have you known?"

"When we had a plan to strike against Kronos, and I was briefed on the Terran "guest" that Burnham brought back with her."

"This is what Burnham's been keeping from me. Are there any more Terrans on our side masquerading as people we know?"

"Not that we're aware of. Just Lorca and Georgiou."

"Damn you and Section 31." Chris said bitterly.

"Chris, please don't be that way. This is hard for me too."

Chris looked at Kat with hurt and sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry; I know you're doing your job. But dammit, Kat. Philippa! Our Philippa."

Chris looked lost. Katrina stood up and walked over to him. She put her arms around him and he returned the embrace, hugging her very tightly.

After a moment, Kat stepped back and regretfully had to switch back to Admiral mode. "You can't let on that you know about this, Chris. To anyone."

He nodded. "I know. I can keep mum."

"Good."

#