Something my brain thought of randomly. I have a bit of writer's block.
Enterprise blinked as she took in her surroundings. She was currently in a park, the day bright and sunny for an outing. Looking up to the sky she squinted a bit at the sun shining down on her. So she adjusted her cap to shield her eyes from the bright rays.
Enterprise blinked again. She noticed there was a picnic table in front of her. It was a simple looking thing, constructed out of planks of wood with the table set between two benches of equal length. On the table was a paper bag. Shrugging her shoulders she decided to take a seat before opening the bag to reveal its contents. Inside was a burger and some fries.
'I wonder who left this here,' the carrier thought to herself.
The Gray Ghost looked left and right for anyone who might have left behind their delicious food but found no one. She was alone in the park but she didn't seem to find anything out of the ordinary about it. So Enterprise did the only reasonable thing she could think of; she began to eat.
"Mm, so good." The shipgirl muttered between gulps. She had already eaten a third of the juicy burger and her sixth fry by the time she started feeling thirsty. "Could use a drink..."
Her quiet murmuring was interrupted when she caught a glimpse of something in her peripherals. Short, sandy blonde hair and long black hair, two individuals she was familiar with but she couldn't quite remember when.
"Heya, mind if we take a seat?" Oklahoma chirped up.
Enterprise swallowed her food before replying. "Go ahead, it's no problem."
"Thanks." Arizona brushed a lock of black hair behind her ear as she and her companion sat across from her. Both of them also had paper bags of their own, soon pulling out burgers and fries to munch on as well.
Enterprise looked at the two and smiled. She certainly liked their company. She was still thirsty, however.
"Oh, there you girls are."
She saw the flowing pink hair before another took a seat on her left. The newcomer also had her own food.
"Hey, Lex." "Hello, Lexington." The two other dreadnoughts greeted their ex-battlecruiser comrade.
Enterprise nodded at her senior. "Nice to see you again."
The idol beside her didn't look much but she knew she was quite capable. Even while eating a burger, Lexington still managed to look elegant, fitting for one known as Lady Lex.
"Hey, umm," Arizona started, "did anyone bring the drinks?"
"Right here!"
Two pairs of white cat ears flicked about as their owners hurried over to the table. The older of the two had two drink carriers in her hands, each holding four cups of cola. The younger caught up behind her with two paper bags in her hands.
"I got ya covered." Sims set the drinks on the table before climbing on to the bench by Lexington's side.
"Don't forget the grub, sis." Hammann sat on Enterprise's right, her tail wagging in excitement.
"Aw, thanks you two." Oklahoma fawned over the two cat girls. "Come on, dig in already. You don't have to wait long for the others, they'll be here soon."
The destroyers eagerly obliged, pulling out their burgers and fries to feast upon. Enterprise sighed in bliss after taking a refreshing sip of cola. The others around her agreed with her sentiment, the crisp taste of the fizzy drink washing away the salt from the fries.
More familiar faces soon joined them. A trio of women arrived, one with long silvery hair, and two with long blonde hair. One of the blondes styled hers up into twin tails, a black cowboy hat resting comfortable on her head.
"Oh, good to see you all here. It's so nice to be able to chat you all again," said Yorktown as she sat by Enterprise.
Lexington had scooted over to make room for the other carrier to sit next to her sister. Hammann also chose that moment to sit on Yorktown's lap, happily munching on her food. Hornet sat in the now vacant space that Hammann occupied, putting Enterprise in the middle of her sisters. Wasp chose to sit across them, chatting a bit with Arizona and Oklahoma.
Hornet tipped her hat. "You doin' good, sis?"
Yorktown placed a hand Enterprise's shoulder. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Enterprise nodded, not wanting to speak with her mouth full. She also didn't trust herself to speak without breaking down; she felt quite sad all of a sudden.
Why were all these people here? Why was she here? It felt so surreal but she continued to eat anyway. Good food shouldn't go to waste.
It was at this moment she realized more people joined them, all of them sitting and eating at their own tables. They all chatted with each other amicably, sometimes laughing at a joke here and there while others just remained mostly silent and content.
They were all familiar faces too. Quincy, Astoria, and Vincennes sat on one side of a table and Chicago, Houston, and Northampton sat on the other side. Hornet whistled and waved at Northampton, winking at her when the latter noticed.
On another table sat a crying Juneau. Atlanta and Helena were on either side of her, trying to comfort her. Laffey was resting on Helena's lap, the former gently rubbing her head soothingly.
Enterprise blinked as her gaze took in her surroundings. She saw that the tables were occupied mostly by destroyer girls, and realization dawned upon her.
"Hm? Hey, you okay?" Hornet noticed her trembling.
"Enterprise, dear, what's wrong?" Yorktown lovingly rubbed circles on her sister's back.
Enterprise was sniffling a bit now, fortunate that she had finished her food and drink before making a mess of herself.
"I...I don't know..." she croaked out. "I'm so sorry!"
The other girls sitting with her didn't mind her sudden outburst. In fact, they seemed to huddle closer to give her some form of comfort, as if to shelter her from whatever made her sad. Oklahoma and Arizona each took one of the carrier's hands in their own, rubbing their thumbs gently on the back of her hands. Wasp had stood up and walked behind Enterprise, just putting her hands on her half-sister's shoulders as she let her emotions out.
"Shh, just let it out." Yorktown cooed as Enterprise quietly sobbed into her shoulder, not minding the tears on her dress. "It's okay. It's okay."
Hornet rested her chin on her sobbing sister's shoulder. "We don't blame ya. None of it was your fault."
"We were all just doing our duty," Wasp reassured, gently massaging her now.
The girls on the other tables respectfully didn't bother the moment, only quietly murmuring to themselves. One by one, some of them went up to Enterprise, whispering words of comfort or lightly grasping her shoulder. They let her know that they would all be there for her, just like they were all there for each other.
Enterprise didn't know how much time passed but she eventually began to calm down. She muttered another apology, and thanked Hammann who passed her some napkins to clean up her face.
"Better now?" Yorktown asked with a small smile.
Enterprise nodded. "Y-yeah. I- I think I'm good."
Hornet clapped her gently on the back with a bright smile on her face. "That's good to hear. Because you still got some work to do."
"Huh?"
"They still need you out there, sister." Yorktown clarified. "Don't worry, we won't go anywhere."
Before Enterprise could ask any further, she was interrupted by a firm yet gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Enterprise, wake up."
"Hey, come on. Stay with us!"
"Get up, get up..."
More hands were reaching out to her and Enterprise realized she was in a dark tunnel. She turned around and saw her fallen compatriots all smiling and waving at her, the park they were in now a light at the end of the tunnel. It wasn't her time yet.
As the light grew smaller with distance, consciousness began to return to Enterprise. Soon the light was just a speck that quickly winked out, and she finally stirred awake.
Enterprise gasped for air as she sat up. A slight pain flared through her body at the sudden motion, making her wince at the sharp sensation. She took a look around her and saw some of her comrades standing around her, all of them looking at her with expressions of concern. She was back in the land of the living.
The carrier grunted as she tried to stand up but the small hand on her shoulder kept her firmly in place.
"Hey, easy," Saratoga chided, "don't rush yourself just yet."
Enterprise smiled weakly at her petite friend. "Nice to see you again. Lex says hi, by the way."
Saratoga's eyes widened. "Wha..?"
Enterprise chuckled at her reaction and just sat there for a while, recovering her strength. Her memory was a bit foggy but she remembered she took a bad hit. It must have been quite bad if it put her out for a while.
"You good, E?" Washington asked. "You were mumbling in your sleep."
North Carolina got on a knee next to Enterprise and put a hand on her forehead. "No fever here. I think you'll be fine."
Enterprise didn't miss the concern that laced her tone. She was one of her most frequent escorts and bodyguards, after all. The worried faces of Essex, South Dakota, San Diego, Portland, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and several others all began to relax. She inwardly apologized for making them worry about her once again.
"Sorry 'bout that quick nap," she spoke, "but I think I can stand now."
Both Saratoga and North Carolina helped her up to her feet, keeping her steady so she didn't fall over unexpectedly. Even strong people needed help from time to time.
"Here, you dropped this, ma'am." Essex handed over a familiar white hat with a black brim. "Grim's been restless waiting for you too."
"Hnn, where is he now?"
"Right here." Bunker Hill stepped forward with the eagle in question resting on her forearm. Her own owl rested on her shoulder. "Go on, she's awake now."
Grim squawked before flying over to Enterprise. She held her own forearm out for him to land on, not bothered by the talons that dug slightly into her coat sleeves.
"Thank goodness, you're all right." New Jersey piped up, her usual jubilant voice slightly toned down. "We owe a lot to you, Miss Heroine. Is there anything we can get ya?"
Enterprise thought for a moment as she pet Grim affectionately. "You know, I could go for some burgers."
END
Honestly not sure how it turned out like this. I just felt like eating a burger, then I had an image of Enterprise eating a burger, and it somehow became a short fanfic. It wasn't even supposed to be feelsy, just Enterprise satisfying her hunger. Don't worry, she does get that burger in the end and she will damn right enjoy it.