At 1730 on the dot, Mariner hitched a transporter beam to Modesto through Starfleet Central Transportation: the perks of being an officer. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and smoothed out her light blue tank top and navy pants before ringing the doorbell at the expansive farmhouse. She could smell the grapes in the air as she looked across the rolling farmland covered in green vines.
The door slid open to reveal a tall, beautiful woman in her late 50s who gave her a huge smile. "Beckett! Please come in!"
"Hi, Mrs. Boimler," she said politely, silently hoping that the sound of her voice would bring Boimler to rescue her.
"Bradward is setting the table in the dining room, so let me get you a drink!" she led Mariner into the kitchen where an older man and a twenty something year old woman were cooking dinner and drinking wine.
"Mitchell, Angelica, this is Beckett, Bradward's girlfriend!" Mrs. Boimler said with a wave of her hand.
"Dear, would you like white or red?" Mitchell, who she assumed was Mr. Boimler, held up two bottles.
"White, please. Thank you, sir," Mariner smiled, internally terrified at how formal she was going to have to be all night.
"Ah yes, another Starfleet officer. So polite!" Mrs. Boimler observed with an indistinct smile, her eyes lingering on Mariner's comm badge. Mariner couldn't tell if it was a disapproving comment or not, but knowing how Mrs. Boimler felt about Boimler's choice of career, Mariner was sure it wasn't a compliment.
"Hi," a familiar voice said from behind her, and she felt instantly relieved. Boimler hugged her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and she saw him look her up and down in appreciation.
"Hi," she smiled at him, noticing how cute he looked, but she could feel their eyes on her, so she didn't gush over him teasingly the way she wanted to.
"I'm going to give her a tour," Boimler said, Mariner noticing that he seemed very commanding in his family's presence.
They were silent until he led her out a rear door onto a beautiful cobblestone patio. Both let out a sigh of relief and turned to each other.
"Oh my god, you look amazing," he began, stepping back to admire her.
"You look so incredibly cute," she said at the same time and they both dissolved into laughter.
"Come on, we have time to kill before dinner is done," he took her hand and led her down a set of steps.
"Are they actually cooking? I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone in my family cook," Mariner said in surprise.
"Oh yeah, my sister is a chef," he said, "Dad is her favorite sous chef."
"Okay, this explains your obsession with the Senior Officers' replicators," Mariner teased.
He introduced her to his two brothers, one 18 years old (Chadwick), one 12 years old (Edward), who were finishing their vineyard chores. "You all have such epic names," Mariner observed, also intrigued at how identical the three guys looked. She imagined she was looking at Boimler through various phases of his childhood, minus the purple hair.
They continued their walk through the vineyard as the sun was beginning to set, and she was speechless. "I know you hate it here…" she began but stopped.
"I know, it's beautiful," he smiled at her, putting his arm around her shoulders.
"I'm a sucker for a sunset," she replied, leaning into him, noticing how nice he smelled.
"I have to practice calling you Beckett before we go inside," he laughed, turning to face her and wrapping his arms around her.
"I've been trying to call you Brad in my head all day, but I keep defaulting to Boims," she explained, "So it's bound to come out at some point."
He pulled her closer and whispered, "Thanks for coming tonight, Beckett."
She smiled and gave him a wink. "I wouldn't have missed it, Brad."
They walked a little further through the vineyard holding hands, Mariner drinking in the beauty of the land. To her own amusement, she didn't have any snarky comments or jokes to tell. It was nice to be with him outside of the atmosphere of the Cerritos, so she was going to try to enjoy it while she could.
"So…" she said, looking at him with a smirk, "where are those girls who were throwing themselves all over you last time I was here? You know, your handmaidens or whatever?"
He rolled his eyes and looked over at her with an exasperated sigh.
"What? I told you that I wanted to make them afraid of me. Mark my territory," she said with a fake sweet smile.
"Don't worry, you'll see them in about 5 minutes. They are still sorting today's harvest," he groaned.
The encounter was everything Mariner had dreamed of and more. One of the girls even cried when Boimler introduced Mariner as his girlfriend! She couldn't wait to tell Tendi and Rutherford. Boimler was incredibly uncomfortable the entire time and Mariner found it to be hilarious.
"I'm sorry," she snorted, still laughing, as they walked back up toward the house.
"No, you aren't," he laughed, putting his arm around her again.
She cackled and put her arm around his waist. "No, I'm not sorry at all. That was amazing. But I promise I'll make it up to you somehow," she winked at him.
"Crisis Point 3?" he asked.
"Crisis Point 4," she smiled suggestively.
"I'd better book a few hours on the holodeck for next week," he said, his eyebrows raised.
"But for now, we return to Crisis Point 3.5, Torture at the Vineyard," Mariner teased, feeling better about the evening now that they were together.
"I'm so sorry for what's about to occur," he laughed, "but my sister is an amazing chef, so at least dinner will be good." He paused, studying Mariner for a moment. "But I'd settle for some Starfleet rations on a deserted planet as long as you were there."
"Bold Boimler, is that you?" she teased, covering the fact that he was being so sweet that she could have cried.
He laughed and said, "You deserve to see him tonight."
"Just as long as there aren't any evil computers, mugatos, or other assorted nightmares," she laughed and paused, "well, I could still be convinced… maybe even with a broken arm."
"That mission could have gone a lot differently," he frowned.
"Nah, it went how it was supposed to. I've been dying to use your catch phrase again," Mariner teased, gently pulling him closer.
He looked at her with minor confusion and she laughed. "You been Boimed!" she repeated, mimicking his tone.
They both burst into hysterical laughter in the middle of the vineyard, Mariner realizing that she hadn't been this happy in a long time.
When they went back inside, Angelica was passing appetizers to her brothers and parents. "Hi!" she said with a genuine smile to Mariner, "Perfect timing! Go ahead and have a seat!"
Boimler pulled a chair out for Mariner, his mother giving him an approving smile. Mariner gave him another wink as she sat down and prepared herself to display her most perfect manners.
Three courses came and went in a flurry of amazing dishes and nervous laughter. Mariner had managed to call Boimler "Brad" every time she spoke about him, and she was incredibly proud of herself for that fact alone. She also managed to maintain her perfect manners through dessert, wine on the patio, and the minor interrogation to which Mrs. Boimler had subjected her.
After everyone went back inside, leaving Mariner and Boimler alone on the patio, Mariner looked over at him with a smile. "Didn't think I could do it, did you?"
He chuckled and scooted closer to her on the bench they were sharing; her bare skin tingled where he touched her shoulder. "I knew you could," he whispered. "You try to put on this bad ass rouge element persona, and while some of that is accurate, I know that there's another side to you. I've seen it before."
"Thank you, Dr. Migleemo," she teased, poking him in the side.
He smiled, "I know that you're more Doodle than you are Vindicta."
"Hey, I was really angry in my Vindicta phase," she explained.
"You think?!" he teased her, squeezing her shoulder.
"Shut up—" she geared up to give him a tiny piece of her mind but was interrupted by his lips on hers.
Chadwick and Angelica were watching from the kitchen, amused to see their brother bring home a girl, let alone one who was gorgeous and obviously not a nerd like their brother. When Brad leaned in and kissed Mariner, Angelica gasped as Chadwick clapped quietly.
"I think this might be the one," their dad said from the doorway.
"Did you see the way he was looking at her?" Angelica said with a smile.
"Ewww," Chadwick commented as their dad laughed.
"What did Mom think?" Angelica asked her dad.
"If anyone can be good enough for Brad, this one could be it," he replied, pouring himself another glass of his favorite red wine.
"Lucky him," Angelica grumbled, rolling her eyes. She'd already been through one failed engagement and was newly single.
"They're watching us," Mariner whispered to Boimler between kisses.
"We can leave now," he chuckled, standing up and pulling her with him, "I'll make sure you get home okay."
Mariner said goodbye and thanked Angelica for the fantastic dinner, promising that she would visit her restaurant before their shore leave ended. Mrs. Boimler actually gave her a hug at the door to Boimler and Mariner's mutual surprise. Even Edward came out of his room to tell her goodbye.
"See, you had no reason to be afraid," Boimler said with a smile as they left the house, the door sliding closed behind them.
"I wasn't afraid," she teased him, "You were the one shitting bricks."
"Uh huh," he deadpanned, pulling her close to him as the transporter swept them away.
Materializing safely inside her apartment, he pulled her in for another kiss just as her communicator chirped. "Freeman to Mariner," her mom's voice came through the tiny speaker.
"Uh, hi mom," Mariner replied, looking at Boimler with her eyes wide. "Stay quiet!" she frantically mouthed to him, and he nodded.
"Your father and I wanted to know if you could transport over to have a night cap and a chat," Freeman said, sounding like it was more of an order than a request.
"Um, I'm kind of tired tonight mom, I had a long day…" Mariner began but was interrupted.
"Bring Boimler with you. Freeman out."
"Shit," Mariner whispered. She hadn't found the right time to tell her mom that she and Boimler were more than friends now, but the Cerritos' rumor mill was vicious and fast, so news must have gotten all the way up to the captain somehow.
"Well, let's do this," Boimler sighed as the transporter took them once again, Mariner's heart racing with fear.
The second they materialized, Mariner was in defense mode.
"Mom, I can explain—"
"Beckett, I've known for three days."
Mariner and Boimler cringed at the same time and remained silent, avoiding eye contact with the captain.
"Now, I know it's pretty common for ensigns to date amongst the group, and I trust Boimler to be professional about this," the captain said as Mariner and Boimler glanced at each other quickly, "You, on the other hand…"
"So, I suggested something that would make your mother feel a bit better, and we both agree that this is the right move," the admiral chimed in, and Mariner's heart dropped to her stomach.
"Dad, please don't transfer me—" Mariner blurted out, tears welling up in her eyes. The captain watched her daughter squirm and realized that this was a much more serious relationship than she had assumed. She couldn't recall a time that she'd found out about her daughter's relationships before they were already over, so this must have been in the making for quite some time.
Boimler's arm instinctively went around Mariner's shoulders as he bravely chimed in, willing to spend several nights in the brig for insubordination. "Sir, Ensign Mariner has demonstrated a new commitment to Starfleet and the Cerritos since being reinstated, and I have confidence that this trend will continue with my positive influence."
The Freemans were silent and looked at each other, eyebrows raised.
"Well, I have to say, I'm intrigued," the captain said, still surprised to see Mariner crying.
"I'm not transferring you," The admiral said gently, "I'm promoting Mister Boimler."
"What?!" Mariner and Boimler exclaimed in unison.
"Mom, you know this is going to look suspicious," Mariner protested, wiping her eyes, and hoping she hadn't smeared mascara all over her face.
"Boimler is due for a promotion, and we have an opening in the Beta shift bridge crew. Maybe you two will get in less trouble this way," the captain said.
"And this will take care of any uncomfortable situations in the showers," The admiral said, raising an eyebrow directly at Boimler.
"Dad—" Mariner began, but the admiral held up his hand.
"I don't need to know," he said, shutting Mariner up instantly.
"Your promotion is effective immediately, Lieutenant," The captain said, sliding a velvet box across the table to Boimler.
Boimler gently picked up the box and opened it, seeing the black pip of a Junior Grade Lieutenant.
"Now, Dad and I are going to bed," the captain announced, standing up from the table, "have a nice evening and I will see you both back on the ship on Sunday."
"Behave yourself, Becky," the admiral smiled, following the captain away from the open-air restaurant and down the ancient stone road.
Boimler clutched the box in one hand and Mariner's hand in the other as they walked to a public transporter station nearby.
"Did that just happen?" he asked her. She had been silent, and he was starting to worry.
Internally, she was furious. Her parents had humiliated her once again and this time they had done it in front of her best friend turned new boyfriend. After a perfect performance at the Boimlers' house, the night was ending like hot garbage.
"Are you okay?" he whispered.
"I don't think so," she replied, meeting his eyes, "I just need to go to bed and forget about this for a few hours."
They hugged before stepping into the transporter to go their separate ways for the night. Boimler told himself that the half-hearted kiss that she had given him meant nothing; he knew that Mariner's relationship with her mother and the baggage from years of bad feelings was the most volatile thing about her.
And he was right. By the time he had gone upstairs to his room, there was a text message on his PADD from her, reading only "I love you."
She saw the screen on her PADD light up as she laid in the dark, angry tears once again streaming from her eyes. She knew it would be from him. "I love you too," it read.