Captain Pike sat at the head of the conference table, sharing his ready room with all of Discovery's senior officers and in particular heads of departments from the bridge. He glanced around the table discretely whilst also listening to the current report on the planet below; Saru sat to his left, followed by Michael, Stamets, Rhys, Bryce, Owo and finally Reno. They were all watching the screen and listening to Saru's detailed report. As Pike watched the scene something struck him; the picture before him was becoming a familiar one, he'd lost track of just how long he'd been aboard Discovery chasing the red signals but it had been long enough for this ship to feel like home, and for this crew to feel like family.
It was only right that his gaze swung to Michael when his mind supplied the word family, she was the best thing that had come out of his assignment here and he honestly couldn't imagine being apart of this family without her. Suddenly she flicked her eyes to his, perhaps sensing his scrutiny, and her lips quirked upwards in a warm smile. Pike smiled bashfully and then averted his gaze, shaking off the embarrassed air that came from being caught out staring; it wouldn't do for the Captain to appear flustered in front of nearly the entire bridge crew.
He looked down at the latest slide on his data pad and focussed all of his attention on the meeting once more, his inability to concentrate proved just how necessary their proposed plan was. Discovery had been through more than most crews did in a week, they'd suffered everything imaginable, suffered life-threatening problems on a day to day basis and world-ending catastrophes. If a crew ever needed shore leave it was this one.
The crew weren't the only one ones who needed a break; the ship had been through more than its fair share of scrapes and hadn't had the chance to truly recover since their little jaunt into the mycelial network. Discovery was in desperate need of repairs and maintenance, and with a lull in the red signal appearances this opportunity was too good to pass up.
"I've drawn up shift rosters for the engineering core and put together maintenance and improvement itineraries." Stamets explained whilst swiping the relevant documents up onto the main screen.
Reno picked up on that thread, speaking for the entire engineering department just as brazenly as Stamets did. "Over the course of 48 hours we'll be going through every vital system and the majority of the secondary ones."
"You got enough people for that?" Pike queried, his eyebrow cocked. He honestly didn't understand how Discovery's engineers got so much done, or quite frankly any engineering sector he had worked with.
Reno and Stamets shot each other an amused glance, rolled their eyes and made it quite clear they were humouring their Captain by even answering. "Yes Sir, plenty of bodies, even after Mr Saru stole a handful of our brightest for shore leave."
Pike snorted at the joking accusation, Saru did not. He still hadn't quite gotten the hang of Reno's dry wit. "Those crewmen are entitled to shore leave Commander, just like any other."
Reno's eyes sparkled but the rest of her expression was blank and gave none of her inner amusement away. "Whatever you say Saru, just don't come running to me when you're all floating around the bridge because the gravity dampeners have failed."
Chris could see that Saru looked even more affronted so he stepped in before Reno managed to successfully derail the meeting. "Gravity dampeners aside, do you both have all the equipment and resources you need to complete the work?"
To Reno's credit she knew when the time was joking and when to cut to the chase. She nodded seriously. "We'll have everything up and running again by the time shore leave is over."
Pike was satisfied with their reports and plans so ticked off that particular concern off his list. Earlier in the meeting they'd already covered what training exercises would take place across the departments, who would run what and scheduled an abundance of training drills ranging from medical emergencies to dealing with power failure, computer malfunctions and boarding parties. The science geeks were also taking advantage of the break in mission, they'd scouted out suitable areas planet-side and in the general vicinity of Discovery's orbit to carry out research and put Stamets' upgraded scanners to the test.
The final niggle on Pike's mind was the planet itself.
"We're sure the planet is suitable?"
Owo, Michael and Rhys all piped up with their respective reports and the short answer was yes. The trio assured him that not only was the planet uninhabited but it was also untouched, it had also been explored briefly by other vessels who had also used it for shore leave purposes. The atmosphere was breathable and very similar to earth, the biggest difference being the very short nights and the slightly lighter gravity. In one archived report the world had actually been described as a 'paradise', with the untouched wildlife, miles of coastline and gentle atmosphere.
The environment lent itself to the great outdoors; it was perfectly habitable for humanoid races, had no disease or climate problems, no huge lifeforms or predators. The twin suns offered natural sunlight which Burnham assured was not harmful, in fact the science geeks were convinced there were some regenerative qualities in the sun's rays and were looking forward to researching them. The lakes were comprised of natural substances and great for water-sports, the cliff sides ideal for rock-climbing and another rare quality of this world was that camping out under the stars was completely safe.
Naturally on a world with all these qualities there was talk about using it as a colony planet some day, but until then it was becoming a usual haunt for Federation ships to use for some unscheduled R and R, far out from the shipping lanes and trading routes of the commercial life in space. Discovery had struck some luck for the first time in a while, they'd only been half a day's warp away from the world when command suggested they use their downtime wisely.
Pike was determined to take the advice to heart and get as much out of this break as he could for the crew; he had a feeling that this would be the last chance in a while to do so. Chris steered his mind away from thoughts of a future he could not alter and focussed on the present, eyes landing on Michael as she finished her assessment.
"So, I'll take that as a yes?" He hid his inner worries by laying on a charming smile, his usual defence for such things.
Michael took one look at his dimples, shook her head and stifled a laugh, recognising his mood. "Yes, Captain. Everything is in hand."
Pike clapped his data pad shut and placed it on the table, leaning back in his chair and feeling the weight of the past few weeks settle on his shoulders. "Well in that case, meeting adjourned."
After being sat for 2 hours everyone was keen to get up on their feet; the room was awash with the sound of chairs clattering and it wasn't long before everyone started to disband, everyone except for Michael that was.
Chris clocked that she was hovering and waiting for the rest of their colleagues to file out of the room, no-one gave the pair of them a second glance. Pike twiddled his thumbs on his lap and tilted his head in question. "Something to add Commander?" Even though he'd used her rank, his playful tone left no mistake that this was Chris talking, not the Captain.
Michael smirked, got to her feet and closed the distance between them. She pulled up a chair to his left and met his gaze, staying uncharacteristically silent for the moment. Chris furrowed his brow and turned in his seat, intrigued by Michael's silence but also the mischievous air around her.
Michael finally put him out of his misery, she typed something on her data pad and then passed it to him, her smile widening with each passing minute. "I've got a surprise for you."
Chris glanced from the outstretched pad to Michael's face and tried to decipher any clue as to what this mystery could be about. Michael's expression didn't give anything away although she was smirking like she knew he was trying to figure her out. Pike narrowed his eyes conspiringly but took the pad, glancing over the highlights and skim reading what was there. His eyes were drawn to something immediately, two highlighted names that had been assigned shore leave for 2 whole days; his and Michael's.
"I didn't request shore leave..." he muttered and flicked through the rest of the documents, noticing everything was in order and that his shifts were covered and signed off by his first officer Saru. Chris opened and closed his mouth a few times but no sound came out, eventually he glanced helplessly up at Michael.
She was staring at him and watching his reaction carefully; part excited, part playful, part anxious. He realised then that this mysterious leave was Michael's doing, and her reactions indicated that she was unsure how he would take the news.
"I requested it on your behalf, I had to pull in a few favours but we've got 48 hours planet-side... together."
Chris blinked once and stared down at the pad in his hands, at his and Michael's names glaring up at at him. It was like his mind was refusing to compute what the document was telling him, he couldn't resolve the equation to accept the answer even though Michael had given him everything he needed. For the first time in quite a while, he was completely speechless.
If Michael noticed his dumbfounded expression she didn't comment, instead she filled the silence by outlining her plan. "All of our shifts are covered and I coordinated with Saru to make sure everything's in place for him to take over as acting Captain when we're gone. Also we'll have communicators with us incase of an emergency or a red signal, so don't worry about being away we're still going to be on standby."
Chris was still staring at the pad like an idiot, he half-registered what Michael was saying and it wasn't lost on him that she was answering his worries and concerns as they struck him. She was addressing his biggest fears; being away from the ship and leaving command to someone else. The Captain was so lost in his muddled, exhausted mind that he hadn't realised that Michael had stopped talking. She suddenly reached over and swiped through some pages on his data pad until pictures appeared.
"I was thinking we could camp overnight, the planet's perfectly hospitable for it and the climate should be comfortable for the both of us. I know you liked to camp when you were younger and I know you like the great outdoors; there's lakes, trails for walking, forests, and because there's no pollution you can see a clear view of the twin suns and this galaxy's nebula."
Chris stared from the beautiful pictures to Michael, marvelling at how dream-like this entire conversation was. Michael had not only arranged all of this but now she was mentioning things that he loved and his heart clenched knowing how much thought she had put into this surprise, what she must have done to make this all happen and without him finding out.
Michael Burnham continued to be just full of surprises.
Sadly Michael mistook his silence for something else and she started to panic, her eyes widened and words spilled out of her mouth at a million miles an hour. "That is, if you want to go..." She suddenly glanced away and began fidgeting anxiously. "Perhaps I shouldn't have presumed, I just wanted to surpr-"
Chris pulled her into an urgent kiss, interrupting and muffling her last words and effectively cutting off her derailment. She ended up falling forwards and basically into his lap, making a giggling sound when their bodies collided in a tangled mess. Chris held her steady, gripped her hips with his familiar touch and deepened the tender kiss, licking at Michael's tongue before he reluctantly broke away. He rested his forehead against hers and held her gaze, his warm smile matching hers, their hands intertwined in the space between them as they both caught their breath.
"Of course I want to. I'd love to spend shore leave with you." Chris finally breathed out, squeezing her hand assuredly.
As soon as Michael heard his words her anxiety vanished, she sighed deeply and relaxed into him, her expression softening noticeably. Chris couldn't keep the grin off of his face. He wanted Michael to know how much this all meant to him, how excited he was, and how much he loved her.
He gestured bashfully to the pictures and plans. "Sorry about looking so dopey before. This is all just a bit of a shock, I didn't see any of it coming." If he was honest he still felt like he was going to wake up from this dream any second. The idea of camping out under the stars with Michael just the two of them, away from the all the pressure and stress; it sounded magical.
Michael nodded slowly, like she understood his reaction more clearly now. All of a sudden she smirked triumphantly and perched herself properly on his lap, leaning into him in some sort of strange embrace. "Well I did work hard to make it a surprise."
Chris brought his arm around her and pecked her on the cheek affectionately. "Mission accomplished."
They both took that moment as it was and Chris reflected on just how damned lucky he was. Michael was so thoughtful and kind, righteous and smart, beautiful and strong. She was everything to him.
"So camping and the great outdoors huh?"
Michael strangely blushed at his words, she quickly brushed the look off though and nodded. "Our very own holiday."
Chris wondered what Michael's blush was all about, he would have to make sure to grill her about that later... but for now. "Thank you Michael. This is hands-down the best thing anyone has ever done for me. I'm so lucky to have you."
Michael beamed up at him. "You are."
Chris stared at her lips and he couldn't hold himself back anymore. He cradled her jaw lightly and pressed their lips together gently, teasing and slow, keeping his mouth barred from Michael's exploring tongue. He brushed his fingers through her hair and earned a shiver in response, he nibbled at Michael's mouth until she moaned desperately, her hands roaming all over his uniform jacket.
A beeping sound from the terminal snapped them both out of the moment, of where they were. It urgently reminded them that their colleagues and the bridge were just the other side of the door, and that they were still on duty.
They disentangled themselves from the kiss at the same time, missing the warmth of the contact immediately. Chris and Michael both sighed and leaned against one another, breathing a little heavy, clothes a little rumpled, hair mussed and looking disappointed that they had to break apart in the first place.
Still, they would have time together alone soon enough... his thoughts were clearly being mirrored by Michael. She looked just as excited as he did and glanced from the data pad with the holiday plans to their entangled bodies.
Huh, maybe that flushed look from earlier was about them spending time together...
Michael snapped him out of his fantasies when she stood from his lap and grabbed the data pad. She glanced at him before she made for the door to exit the room.
"So, does the holiday pass muster, Captain?"
Chris grinned and barked out a laugh, before getting to his feet as well. "It'll do."
"What exactly am I supposed to be packing again?" Chris knelt on the floor by his set of drawers, an open empty bag by his knees. He glanced over to Michael who was busy picking out her own clothes.
She smirked, a knowing look crossing her face. "I never told you in the first place." She glanced at him over her shoulder and wagged her finger his way, imitating a lecturing teacher frighteningly well. "Stop trying to get details out of me."
Chris sighed dramatically and ran his hands through his hair, using his hands to exclaim his plea. "Michael. I've got to know what to pack; swimwear, hot stuff, cold stuff, types of shoes, special gear?"
Michael grinned and barked a laugh, she shook her head, and threw him a very familiar look - You're not pulling the wool over my eyes.
"No you don't, I've told you it's a surprise."
"But-"
"But nothing." Michael interrupted and turned to look at him seriously, shutting down his attempts to worm information out of her with her steely expression. "Everything's been sorted."
Pike pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at her, reading between the lines. "Have you already packed stuff for me?"
"Perhaps."
Chris scoffed at Michael's smirk; he glanced back at his drawers of clothes. Without direction was he just supposed to pack everything just incase he needed it? Michael had refused to tell him anything about their trip other than she had a number of activities planned, the only thing she had divulged was that they were going to be away for 48 hours and staying overnight.
After picking up a few different options, long-sleeve and short-sleeve, he glanced over to Michael to get her opinion, holding up the hot clothes in one hand and the cold in another. "So what do you suggest?"
Michael had just finished packing her own clothes and zipped up her bag. She eyed the items and smirked cheekily, making an aloof comment "I suggest you pack clothes you want to wear." She got to her feet and wandered over to his predicament, eyes twinkling happily; loving the power she held in that moment.
Chris sighed dramatically and dropped the clothes on the floor, he narrowed his eyes and studied her for a beat, watching her movements and seeing the stubborn expression firmly in place. He'd seen that look before and knew then he was doomed, when Michael had her heart set on something there was no changing her mind. "You're not going to tell me anything about what you've got planned are you?"
Predictably Michael chuckled and shook her head sweetly. "Nope." She leaned down and brought her lips to his, planting a loving kiss there, her hand coming up to cradle his cheek and jaw. Chris closed his eyes and sighed into the kiss, letting himself be distracted by the familiar taste against his mouth.
Michael pulled back and after giving him one last peck she shot to her feet and made for the main living area. "Now come on, pick some clothes. We've got to get going."
Chris watched her leave, his eyes drifting down her slim figure to the sway of her hips and he licked his lips in anticipation. He was looking forward to spending some time alone with Michael in the great outdoors.
After performing a mock salute he got back to work and began packing as Michael had suggested. "Yes ma'am."