Redemption
Chapter 24
T'Pol stepped inside the house. Jonathan remained glued to the spot, searching for the right words but his larynx refused to issue sound. The moment was surreal. After all these years – here she was standing before him in the flesh – the first woman he'd ever loved. The only woman he'd ever asked to marry him. And she'd married Steve Johnson!
"Are you coming in?" Maggie asked him.
T'Pol had turned around, obviously wondering what was wrong with him and asked if he was feeling well. He wasn't sure how to answer that question. He didn't know if he could get through this evening sitting across the table from the woman who he still felt anger towards. The woman who'd refused him with the mere explanation of not wanting to be a Starfleet widow. The woman who'd dated him for more than a year and acted surprised when he'd proposed marriage. The woman who'd married his friend.
Feelings buried for over eighteen years were resurrected. Memories of that fateful evening right here on this very doorstep flooded back.
"Why don't you go in T'Pol, we'll join you in a moment," Maggie said, moving over to where Jonathan was standing. T'Pol gave them a quizzical look, not quite understanding the significance of this reunion, and walked inside.
"I know it's a shock—"
"That's an understatement." He was relieved to find his voice box was still in working order.
"Will you join us for dinner? We've got a lot to catch up on."
"I don't know if I want to catch up, Margaret."
"What happened to Maggie?"
He looked away focusing on a car that was driving past. He felt her touch his arm. "Hey, fly-boy, we can still be friends can't we?"
"Don't call me that!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't—"
"Forget it. I don't want to hear it."
"Listen, I can't stay out here on the front porch and argue with you. I need to go check on dinner or we'll be eating the burnt remnants of roast chicken. So are you coming in or not?"
It would be childish and immature not to go in. What was one dinner, right? He could cope with it. So what if a close friend had married his first love? He could deal with it. This was a picnic compared to some of the situations he'd been in the last year. He'd sit across the table from the pair of them and make small talk, acting as if nothing in the world were wrong.
He entered the house without a word. Maggie showed him into the living room where T'Pol was already seated. Maggie informed them that Steve would be arriving in about half an hour. She asked if they wanted anything to drink. Jonathan asked for a Scotch.
T'Pol requested a mineral water. Maggie left them alone while she went to get their drinks.
"What's wrong with you?" T'Pol asked. "You are acting strange."
Jonathan gave a sarcastic laugh. "You wouldn't understand cause you don't know who she is."
"She's Steve's wife."
"That she is."
"I assume she's someone from your past."
"You're getting warm."
"Be cryptic. If you don't wish to tell me, I'm not going to badger you with questions." T'Pol picked up a magazine lying on the coffee table and leafed through a few pages.
"What did Steve tell you about his wife?"
"Nothing more than that he had one. I did not enquire of her."
Maggie returned with the drinks. "Thank you," T'Pol said to her. "I'm curious, Mrs. Johnson – you said to Jonathan at the front door that it has been a long time. May I ask how you know each other?"
"Jon hasn't told you?"
"He would rather play games."
"Oh I see. Well I'm Dr. Margaret Johnson, but my friends call me Maggie."
"You're Margaret Mullin?" T'Pol asked, looking surprised.
"Yes."
How did T'Pol know about Maggie? Then he realized what all the outings with Steve must have been about. What right did he have to be informing T'Pol of his past? Another thought crossed his mind – had there been something going on between Steve and Maggie behind his back all those years ago? Was that the real reason for her refusal? Oh god, he felt sick to his stomach. Now he didn't know if he could get through dinner.
"You kept the apartment," Jonathan stated, making an effort at small talk. Perhaps it would slow down his racing mind.
"Yes, it's been empty for some time. We were thinking of buying a property along Steiner Street, but I convinced Steve that my old apartment would suffice for the time being. And I'm rather attached to it."
He glanced around the room. It looked freshly decorated and the furniture was new. Back when she'd been a medical student Maggie had been on a budget and the place was furnished with mismatched items that were hand me downs from family and friends.
"I've kept abreast of your career, Jon. It's certainly been interesting."
"That's one way you could describe it." He sipped at his Scotch.
"May I ask what your medical specialty is?" T'Pol addressed Maggie.
"I decided to go into pediatrics after I graduated from Medical School."
That figures. She'd always liked kids. It was why he'd contemplated having a family. It seemed crazy now, but in his unbounded enthusiasm he'd even thought about names. Things had seemed so definite…so certain…
"Do you and Steve have kids?" Jonathan asked. Since she loved children it seemed natural that she'd want some of her own.
"We've been so busy with our respective careers, there just hasn't been time. But it's not too late to start."
That was true. Nowadays it wasn't uncommon for a 50 year old woman to get pregnant and give birth. Maggie still had time.
He excused himself for a moment saying he needed to use the bathroom. It was merely an excuse to help him get centered. He splashed some cold water on his face and studied his reflection in the mirror. He could do this. It still felt surreal and he almost wished it was a product of his imagination – one of those weird dreams he was having and any moment he'd wake up in his apartment. But this felt too real to be a dream.
After all these years he'd put the memory of Margaret Mullin far behind him. The suppressed memories, the hurt, the anger, the disappointment – he didn't want to revisit any of that and yet her mere presence caused all of it to bubble to the surface. He took a deep breath – he wasn't 24 any more, he was a grown mature man. So what if an old flame had crossed his path? He could handle it…he hoped.
When he returned to the living room he found both of them engaged quite happily in conversation. Whilst he'd only received the iceberg treatment from the Vulcan, she appeared most amiable to Maggie.
"He really threatened to knock you on your ass?" Maggie laughed.
"Indeed."
"That must have been quite a first meeting."
"Yes."
"Did you tell the whole story, T'Pol?" he interjected, annoyed that this was the topic of discussion. "She and her Vulcan cohorts were trying to delay my mission – again."
"Sounds like you're still sore about this incident," Maggie stated.
"No, I just want to make sure it's told correctly."
T'Pol gave him an icy glare.
The conversation continued, mostly between T'Pol and Maggie. Luckily the subject reverted back to Maggie's medical career as she related what her work had been like over the years. He listened in, commenting now and then when he deemed it necessary. Before long he heard the front door open and they were joined by Steve.
"It's been a long time, Jon!" Steve said as he shook his hand.
"That's what your wife said to me."
"So how was Fiji?"
"Great."
"And your girlfriend – did she come back with you?"
Jonathan glanced at T'Pol. What had she told Steve? He felt his gut tighten at the thought of the two of them discussing him behind his back. It was something he couldn't abide.
"Rebecca stayed another week," Jonathan answered, not correcting Steve on the girlfriend part. If that's what T'Pol had told him – fine! Let Steve believe it.
"Perhaps you can bring her to the Starfleet Ball. I'd love to meet her."
"Why? Isn't one of my girlfriends enough for you?" Oh God, did he have to say the first thing that went through his mind!
"Finding out Maggie and I were married must have been a surprise."
"Yeah," he muttered in response.
"If I can interrupt for a moment, I'm about to serve dinner. Why don't you all sit down around the dining table," Maggie suggested.
They shuffled into the other room and sat down at the table. Steve opened a bottle of white wine and filled their glasses. "Do you drink alcohol?" he asked T'Pol.
"On occasion. I'll have one glass."
"So what's the Starfleet Ball like?" Steve asked. "I got the invitation this morning."
"You didn't ask Maggie? She went once…a long time ago…with me."
"Right, I remember now. You tried to get me an invite." Steve had a good memory. Jonathan didn't remember that.
Maggie entered with the first course. "Oh it's an elaborate affair, Steve. Everyone has to dress up. I had a great time. The men all wear tuxes, the women are in evening gowns. There's a three course meal and later on there's dancing for those who wish to take part."
"Sounds like fun. Are you going, T'Pol?" Steve asked.
"I have not made a decision yet. It is a curious event," she noted. "Is there a particular reason for it being held?"
"You've been to a Starfleet Ball?" Jonathan asked her.
"Yes, I accompanied Ambassador Soval the first year I came to Earth."
He wondered if he'd attended the one T'Pol had been to. He didn't remember seeing her, but then the last time he'd gone Rebecca and him were still dating. That was probably before T'Pol had come to Earth.
"It's just an annual event, T'Pol. There's no particular reason for it," he explained.
"I hear you'll be the guest of honor," Steve said to Jonathan.
"Apparently."
"How is it you were invited?" Jonathan asked him.
"I work for Starfleet medical now. That's why we moved to San Francisco."
"Are we in need of more shrinks?" His tone was slightly sarcastic.
"There can never be enough therapists if you ask me. You'd be surprised how many officers seek out my help and that of my colleagues. There's even a waiting list."
"Oh."
"I think it would be a good idea if all Starfleet cadets had a few sessions with a counselor or therapist – people go around for years needing to get stuff off their chests and instead repressing it all. I think we'd all be a lot healthier if we were more open to what goes on in our psyche."
Steve sounded like an advertisement for psychotherapy. It made Jonathan nervous. Was he studying him – the way he sat, the words he said, his facial expressions? Wasn't that part of the training? Hmm…he didn't like the feeling of being under a microscope.
"You practice what you preach?" Jon asked.
"Oh sure. Going through therapy yourself is part of the training." Steve took a sip of wine. "I was thinking – take you for example, Jon."
He did not like where this was going.
"If you'd had a few sessions as a cadet it might have helped you deal with your anger or at least taught you how to channel it."
"I didn't have any problem with anger," Jonathan answered, feeling defensive.
"Come on, Jon. Your anger towards the Vulcans is world famous. You can't deny that."
"Whatever my feelings were, they were well founded and didn't need channeling. If your father had died—"
"It's okay, Jon, I didn't mean to upset you."
"I'm not upset." Jonathan sliced the tender chicken breast on his plate and speared a piece with his fork. He felt angry, as if Steve was playing some kind of psychological game with him. He didn't enjoy being the guinea pig.
"I guess I get carried away at times. I'm very enthusiastic about my work, and I love helping people."
"It must be rewarding work," T'Pol interjected.
"It is, though it's not easy. It can be very painful at times. I don't think I could have stayed in Florida much longer trying to comfort those who'd lost loved ones in the Xindi attack. If you're not careful, you can get burned out. So when I heard about an opening at Starfleet Medical I jumped at it."
Ah, so Steve was human after all. It made Jonathan feel better – as if they were back on equal ground.
The meal was very good – Maggie was a proficient cook, not as good as Rebecca maybe, but she knew her way around a kitchen. He recalled how she'd surprised him with carrot cake for his birthday all those years ago, knowing it was his favourite.
Maggie asked Jonathan how long he'd be remaining on Earth. He explained that he and his crew were earth bound until Enterprise was space worthy again.
"I guess you took quite a beating from the Xindi."
"Yeah."
"I don't mean to pry, I know it's classified. I'm relieved that you made it back in one piece."
Physically at least, he thought.
"Guess I proved you wrong, Maggie."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm still alive."
"Yes…but what—"
"That was your reason, do you recall? You were worried I'd make you a widow." He hadn't planned on the conversation taking this direction but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Her explanation for refusing him had never satisfied him – it had felt more like a hollow excuse.
Maggie was no fool and recognized his comment as a direct dig at her. That much Jon could see written in her eyes. "Yes, it seems I was mistaken."
"I think Jon has nine lives like a cat. Right, T'Pol?" Steve interjected, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"Something like that."
"I hope the salad's okay," Maggie spoke to T'Pol. "Steve mentioned you were vegetarian. I'm sure you miss Enterprise's Chef."
T'Pol reassured her host that the meal was fine. She went onto explain that she'd been doing a lot of her own cooking while staying at Jonathan's looking after Porthos.
"Porthos? Is he a cat or a dog?" Maggie enquired as T'Pol hadn't been specific.
"He's a beagle," Jonathan answered.
"I bet he's adorable."
"He's very cute, Maggie. I thought I'd mentioned him to you. That's how T'Pol and I met, she was out walking Porthos when I was out with Bailey," Steve informed his wife.
"That's right! Sorry, completely slipped my mind."
"Bailey?" Archer asked.
"Steve's black Labrador. That animal is spoiled to death," Maggie said.
"Where is he?"
"He gets rather excitable around guests so we put him in the bedroom for the time being."
"I'd like to see him." Bailey was the first living creature in this house he was remotely interested in meeting.
Steve replied that the dog could join them after dinner. He asked Jonathan why he didn't take Porthos with him to Fiji; surely the dog would have enjoyed himself there. "I can't imagine not taking Bailey with me."
Jonathan was a bit stuck and grateful that a mouthful of food prevented him from answering immediately. The only reason he'd left Porthos behind was as an excuse for T'Pol to use his apartment. Otherwise there'd have been no question of taking the pup with him.
"There was a policy at the villa Rebecca rented – no pets."
"Oh. Well at least T'Pol took good care of him."
"Yeah."
He helped Maggie clear away the dishes after dessert and followed her into the kitchen with them. She thanked him as he passed them to her and loaded them into the dishwasher.
"I'm sorry about tonight, Jon."
"What exactly are you sorry about?"
"It shouldn't have been a surprise. Steve should have told T'Pol and you."
"T'Pol didn't know?"
"No."
"But she knows about you – I mean about us and our past."
"I suppose. It bothers you?"
"Your husband had no right to divulge such private information about me."
"T'Pol is your friend, isn't she?"
"That's not the point."
"Honestly, Jon, what's the big deal? Our relationship isn't classified."
"I haven't talked to anyone about you!" He said through gritted teeth.
"No one?"
"Okay, one person," he said, remembering Rebecca. "But as a rule I keep my past to myself."
"Then I apologize for Steve being indiscreet, if you see it that way." She paused to draw breath. "Listen, about tonight – Steve thought it would be a fun to keep my identity secret. I didn't think it was a good idea, but I assumed after all this time you'd be over what happened so long ago."
"I am over it."
"You sound angry."
"Seeing you has brought back a lot of memories."
"I know, Jon. For me too," she said touching his arm.
He flinched away. "I didn't say they were happy."
She sighed, closing the dishwasher and setting the program. "We had a lot of fun together; can't we just remember the good times?"
"Fun! Huh, I was a first class idiot! There was I thinking I'd met the woman to spend the rest of my life with and you were having fun."
"Don't twist my words, Jonathan."
"But that's all it was, right? Just a bit of fun. And the minute Steve steps in you marry him!" He wasn't jealous – his romantic feelings for Maggie had died many years ago. He was angry and bitter — angry for having wasted so much time on a woman that obviously hadn't taken him seriously.
"You don't know what you're talking about. And I wouldn't talk so loud if I were you. The walls in this kitchen are thin."
That shut him up. He didn't want Steve or T'Pol to hear any of this. But he remained angry.
"Jonathan, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. I can appreciate that this has been a shock for you and I guess you have a right to be angry about how things turned out."
"You guess?"
"Maybe we should meet some time next week for lunch or something and clear the air? Disappearing like I did – well it wasn't the most mature thing to do. I owe you an explanation."
He didn't know what good it would do. Rehashing the past might not be very healthy. On the other hand maybe he could lay this ghost to rest once and for all. So he agreed.
Jonathan and T'Pol walked together back to her hotel. It was a foggy evening with a chill in the air. T'Pol's jacket was flimsy and didn't seem to be keeping out the cold. He suggested she take his.
"It's not necessary."
"You look like you're shivering."
"I'm fine. The hotel is only a few blocks from here."
He removed his jacket and offered it to her. "I don't want you to catch cold."
"My immune system is stronger than yours. If anyone is to catch cold, it's likely to be you, Jonathan."
She was being as stubborn as she'd been that time on P'Jem when he'd offered to share his blanket with her. Eventually though she'd seen the practical side of it and snuggled up with him under it. The memory caused him to smile.
He slipped his jacket back on deciding not to protest his case. They walked several steps in silence before T'Pol spoke up.
"Tonight must have been a shock for you."
"Yeah."
"I was as much in the dark as you. I don't think Steve's decision to keep his wife's identity a secret was a prudent one. I told him so while you were in the kitchen."
"You did?"
"He'd initially thought it would be amusing, but now realizes his mistake."
"Oh."
"I apologize if tonight caused you any pain."
Seems everyone was apologizing to him today. "This wasn't your fault, T'Pol, so there's no need to apologize." He thought about bringing up the subject of how T'Pol knew about Maggie in the first place but decided against it. He wasn't in a mood for a fight with her. He felt tired.
They arrived outside the hotel. T'Pol asked if he'd like to come up for some tea.
"What? I'm being invited into the sanctuary?"
"I do not understand—"
"Forget it, I was being sarcastic. You go to such great pains to get away from me, packing at lightening speed to get out of my apartment and now you're inviting me up to your hotel room? It seems ironic."
"Jonathan—"
"No, don't bother explaining. I get it. You pity me. Poor Jonathan – he's had the past regurgitated for him this evening so now I have to play the Vulcan version of the good Samaritan and forget why I'm mad at him."
"You are incorrect about my motivations."
"I can't deal with hot and cold, T'Pol. Make your mind up – either play the ice queen or treat me like you normally do." She was about to respond when he cut her off again. "I'm tired and I don't want explanations. Goodnight."
With that he turned on his heel and left.
T'Pol entered the hotel and was about to walk over to the elevator when a desk clerk called out to her. He passed her a message saying a Captain Hernandez had called while she was out. T'Pol thanked him and made her way to her room.
Hernandez – she was the captain of the Columbia was she not? Yes, Jonathan had mentioned her briefly on the way over to Steve and Maggie's apartment. He'd been onboard this morning when Columbia had been taken out for a test run. She placed the note in a pocket and wondered why the captain had contacted her.
She felt tired so wouldn't return the call this evening. It would have to wait till the weekend.
She glanced around her room as she entered. It was adequate for her needs, was more of a suite than a room but not as spacious as Jonathan's apartment. And it didn't have a kitchen or a friendly quadruped. She was surprised to discover that she actually missed Porthos.
She prepared for bed with thoughts of this evening running through her mind. She wished Steve had been forthright about his wife. She'd had no idea he was married to Margaret Mullin but in hindsight was surprised that the thought had never crossed her mind. She'd been so intent on learning about Archer's involvement with Maggie she'd never asked Steve what had happened to Maggie after she left for Denver.
Well now she knew.
She wondered if Jonathan would be able to sleep tonight or would his thoughts be plagued with this evening's events? She remembered Steve telling her how he'd disappeared for three months after Maggie's refusal. Had tonight brought all those distasteful memories back? Well she'd never know; he didn't seem to be very receptive to talking to her.
Though that wasn't surprising, considering how she'd acted since his arrival. It wasn't that she'd planned on being "cold" as Jonathan had described, she just hadn't felt any reason to be overly welcoming. She was still curious about his early return. He'd said Fiji hadn't changed things, just as she'd predicted. But what about Rebecca? He hadn't even mentioned her.
She thought back to Maggie. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman. She could understand how both Steve and Jonathan had been enchanted by her. Perhaps Steve had secretly loved her while she'd been with Jonathan. He'd never said anything about it, only explaining that he and Maggie had been friends.
T'Pol slipped under the covers of her bed and examined the PADD she'd left at her bedside earlier today. She consulted the calendar she had stored on it. The Starfleet Ball was next Thursday. There was no great inclination on her part to attend. She knew what it entailed: dressing up, drinking, eating Hors D'oeuvresand mixing with other Starfleet staff. If it weren't for the fact that she'd soon be a Starfleet officer she would have declined. But now it would be considered rude to not attend.
It would not be a hardship to go, she decided. And the next day she could leave for Vulcan as she'd planned. Her mother was expecting her that Friday and she'd already booked passage on a Vulcan passenger ship. She had no idea how long she'd remain there. It would be prudent to speak to Admiral Forrest about when Enterprise's crew would be required to return to duty. She was unsure of how long the repairs on Enterprise would take. Whatever off-duty time remained there didn't seem much point in staying here on Earth.
Originally she'd thought about spending one or two weeks with her mother and then returning to Jonathan to spend their remaining time together. That plan had seemed all well and good more than two weeks ago when she'd gone looking for him after the debriefing, but now it seemed foolish and illogical.
She put the PADD down and lay her head on the pillow. She thought of the Illyrians and how nothing had been resolved. Forrest had said it would be discussed again next week amongst the council members but he didn't hold out much hope. She'd mentioned the aliens' plight to Soval at dinner last night just to gauge his reaction but he hadn't been forthcoming about offering help. She felt as if she'd run out of options.
Turning off her side lamp she rolled onto her side and noticed the gap left in the drapes, allowing the light from the street to seep in. She got up and closed the gap. Returning to bed she acknowledged just how out of sorts she felt.
Nothing had gone according to plan. Her friendship with Jonathan seemed to be non-existent and whatever else she'd hoped for obviously wasn't going to materialize, despite the letters she'd read.
Her efforts at helping him with his guilt had fallen to the wayside. She hadn't been able to get him to open up or help him indirectly through trying to arrange a rescue attempt for the Illyrians.
And now in her hope that he and Steve could rekindle their friendship Margaret Mullin had reappeared on the scene.
No, nothing had gone according to plan.
The alarm went off at 8am. Jonathan fumbled around to turn it off. He guessed T'Pol had set it to that time. He couldn't seem to find the switch to turn the damn screeching off and in his impatience ended up throwing it across the room. It hit the wall and the screeching came to an abrupt halt. He'd probably broken it.
He rolled onto his left and pulled the covers up to his neck. No point in getting up so early. It wasn't as if he had plans. However, it seemed Porthos thought otherwise. Ten minutes later the pup had jumped onto the bed and was seeking his master's attention.
Jonathan's protests had no effect on the animal and he eventually succumbed and crawled out of bed. Shielding his eyes from the sunlight streaming in through the open curtains in the living room, he went over to the kitchen reaching for Porthos' breakfast. After filling the dog's bowl with food and water he returned to his bedroom closing the door behind him and getting back into bed.
He felt tired and hoped to get another hour or so of sleep in. Five minutes later he heard a call coming through. His first inclination was to let voicemail pick it up but then decided against it and went to answer.
"I hope I'm not calling too early." It was Admiral Forrest's wife.
"No, it's fine, Mrs. Forrest."
"Jon, how many times have I told you it's Phillipa?"
"Sorry, Phillipa."
"I hope you don't have plans Sunday evening. Max and I are hosting a barbecue for a few Starfleet officers and we'd love you to come. Very informal sort of thing, you know."
"Sounds nice." He wanted to ask who was coming but that would be considered rude.
"So that means you'll come?"
He said yes. Phillipa then asked him to invite T'Pol. Maxwell wanted her there – he thought it would make her feel more welcome amongst her soon-to-be fellow Starfleet officers. He answered that he would.
"Good. Then I'll see you both around 7pm?"
He nodded and finished the call. He yawned but decided against going back to bed and went to put some coffee on instead.
After breakfast he contacted T'Pol and told her of the invite. She said she'd be available. He offered to pick her up but she declined. She was obviously doing her ice maiden thing today. He was about to end the call when she mentioned that Erika had contacted her.
"Do you know what it might be about?"
"You haven't called her back yet?" he asked.
"No."
"I wouldn't rush it then. I'd leave it till Monday." So Erika was going to ask T'Pol even though he'd asked her specifically not to. Some friend she was!
"Jonathan, do you know what it is in regarding to?"
He didn't know whether to come clean or lie. No, he'd better tell the truth, he'd lied to T'Pol enough. "I believe she may be interested in poaching you from Enterprise."
"By that do you mean she wants to offer me a commission aboard Columbia?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"I see."
"Would you consider it?" He asked, fear clutching at his heart.
"I do not know."
Ugh…why couldn't she have said something like Enterprise is my home and I'd never consider leaving? He'd had a bad feeling about his ever since Erika had brought it up. What would Enterprise be like without T'Pol? And who could replace her? He'd faced this dilemma once before just as they were en-route to Vulcan to drop T'Pol off before entering the Expanse. It had seemed unreal that T'Pol wouldn't be at his side. When she'd announced that she wasn't returning to Vulcan but instead accompanying him into the vast unknown he'd wanted to jump for joy and hug her.
"I can't imagine Enterprise without you," he said truthfully.
"I would miss the crew."
The crew! Just the crew! Well he only had himself to blame.
"And they'd miss you."
"I will have to give the matter some thought and wait to hear what Captain Hernandez has to say."
"Right."
"If that's all, I'll let you go."
"Yeah, I'll see you at Admiral Forrest's tomorrow then. You know where he lives?"
"Yes, Jonathan. Till tomorrow."
After returning from a walk with Porthos he noticed there were a few unread messages on the computer terminal. He opened the first one, which was from Rebecca. She hoped he'd resolved things with T'Pol. She was having a great time, and was due back in San Francisco on Wednesday and asked if he could pick her up at the shuttle port.
The next message to his surprise was from Jonathan Atkins. The boy said he hoped the captain didn't mind him getting in touch and he wanted to express his gratitude once more. He also said how much he'd enjoyed the captain's company on the yacht that day and wished that they lived closer. He mentioned that the captain's friend – Miss Summers had been to visit with them 2 days ago and he'd enjoyed seeing her again. He asked if it wouldn't be too much trouble could the captain write back, he'd be thrilled to hear from him. Miss Summers had felt that Captain Archer wouldn't mind. He also politely reminded him about his brother David's request for an autograph from T'Pol.
Hmm…so Rebecca had spent time with the Atkins — interesting. Jonathan wrote down a reminder to himself on a scrap of paper about asking T'Pol for the autograph and taped it to the monitor. He had actually forgotten to mention it to her. He smiled when he thought of the young boy and was pleased he'd been in touch. He'd be happy to write back to him.
The third message was a quick note from Trip in the Caymans. He was having a great time, enjoying the weather and hoped the captain was having an equally good time in Fiji. He was leaving the Caymans tomorrow and would be spending some time in South Carolina with a friend before returning to San Francisco. He hoped he and the captain could get together for a beer at the 602 when he returned. He also mentioned that he'd heard about the drowning incident on the news and congratulated him on a heroic rescue.
Taping a few keys on the keyboard he selected the compose feature on the messages menu and started to type a response to Jonathan. He apologized for the delay in the autograph and said he'd see to acquiring it this weekend. He thanked the boy for the note and said he was pleased to hear from him. He reminded him about the swimming lessons when he got back to Sydney. He asked how the rest of his vacation was going and what he and his brother had been up to. He signed it your friend, Captain Archer.
Next he wrote a short response to Trip, saying he looked forward to that drink in the 602 and asked the engineer to keep in touch. He mentioned that he'd returned from Fiji a week early but didn't expand on why. If Trip was curious he could always write back and ask.
He didn't respond to Rebecca immediately but instead decided to wait a few hours and call her directly.
At 4pm, he put the call through, hoping to find her in. He was in luck, as her smiley blonde haired face answered.
"Hey, Jon! What a nice surprise."
It made a change for someone to be pleased to see or hear from him, especially after the icy treatment he'd received from T'Pol. Not that he didn't deserve it; it was just pleasant to hear Rebecca's enthusiasm. To be honest he'd missed her these last few days and was looking forward to her coming back to San Francisco. He hoped she wouldn't rush off on her next assignment or to Washington, D.C and that they could spend some time together.
"I got your message but thought I'd call you back instead."
"Well thanks; it's great to hear from you. How are you?"
"Still breathing," he kidded.
"Jon, is it that bad? What happened with T'Pol?"
"Nothing happened. She's mad at me and doesn't want to talk."
"Did you explain about us being friends?"
"I never got the chance."
"What do you mean? That should have been the first thing you said to her."
"Believe me, I tried. She wasn't very receptive. But that's just one of my problems."
"What's been going on?"
"You won't believe who I had dinner with last night."
"Do I get a clue?" she asked; a playful tone in her voice.
"Someone from my past."
"Not much of a clue, Jon, but let me take a wild guess. Maggie?"
"You hit the nail on the head."
"Okay, you've had your fun, Jon. Who was it really?"
"I'm not kidding. It was her – in the flesh."
"No way! Boy I was totally grasping at straws. That must have been some dinner! I wouldn't mind being a fly on that wall."
"It was awkward and uncomfortable."
"I can imagine it was hell for you."
He noticed her glancing at her watch. "Got a hot date or something?"
"Actually I'm going scuba diving with Paolo. I'm supposed to meet him in 30 minutes."
"Rebecca, what is it with you and Italians? First Patrizio, now this Paolo—"
"He's a diving instructor, Jon," she laughed.
"And how come when I was there I could barely get you in the water and now you're going diving?"
"Jealous?" she teased.
"You wish."
They both laughed. Boy, it felt good to laugh. "Listen, I just wanted to say I'll be there on Wednesday to pick you up. What time's your flight coming in?"
"2pm local time."
"Okay, I'll be there, but I'll probably be in sunglasses and a baseball cap."
"Reporters giving you trouble again, Jon?"
"Well they tried the day I arrived. Things seem to be quieter, but I don't want to tempt fate."
"Understandable. I'll see you Wednesday then and I want the whole scoop on Maggie."
"Okay," he smiled. "By the way I heard from Jonathan Atkins. He tells me you visited with them a few days ago."
"Yeah, it was nice. I'll fill you in on Wednesday. Gotta dash."
"Right, don't want to keep Paolo waiting."
She flashed him her trademark smile, bid him goodbye and the screen went blank. Well he hoped she had fun.
Rebecca was one of those people who seemed eternally cheerful and bubbly. Whatever went wrong she tried to look at the positive side of things. Oh he'd known her to go through some rough patches and he'd even seen her cry a couple times, but overall she seemed to be a tower of strength. She was a woman who had a real passion for living and he admired that.
Yes, the more he thought about it, the happier he was about her coming back.
TBC