Tendi and Mariner arrived at the restaurant first and waited outside for the boys to transport in. "You look so pretty," Mariner gushed to Tendi, gesturing to her dress, which showed off her adorable green figure.
"Sequin pants? I didn't know that there was a sequin side to you, but I love it!" Tendi observed, giving her friend a hug.
"I thought I would treat Boims to some eye candy before he has to see me in uniform for 6 months straight," Mariner laughed.
Rutherford arrived next and instantly said, "Wow! You guys look amazing!" Mariner noticed that his eyes lingered on Tendi as they talked.
Boimler arrived last, looking irritated. Mariner knew that his facial expression was likely the result of a last-minute argument with Mrs. Boimler, but she waited for him to elaborate.
"Sorry I'm late. Mom strikes again," He sighed as they walked up to the hostess stand, "She would love for us all to come over and have a bonfire at the vineyard tonight after we're done with dinner."
"Oh shit," Mariner grimaced, but then back pedaled with a sigh, rubbing her hand on his upper arm to comfort him, "It's okay. It will probably be a lot of fun, and we can get shitfaced under the stars."
"That sounds great!" Rutherford said with his usual enthusiasm.
"Maybe if I get drunk enough here, I won't care so much," Boimler whispered to Mariner as they made their way to a booth near the center of the restaurant. He sighed and held her back for a second to lean closer. "I'm sorry I'm in a shitty mood. You look perfect," he gently kissed her cheek and took her hand before leading her toward the table.
"Aww, this is just like our favorite table on the ship!" Tendi observed happily, sliding into the outside seat next to Rutherford.
Boimler's sister came out of the kitchen to greet them and let them know what was on the menu for the evening.
"Guys, this is my older sister Angelica. She met Mar— Beckett last night. These are my good friends Sam Rutherford and D'vana Tendi," Boimler gestured, introducing everyone to his sister.
"Mom's making you bring them over, isn't she," Angelica rolled her eyes at Boimler. He rolled his eyes in reply and nodded. "Shew, good luck. If you're late enough, maybe she will be asleep."
"There's no way I could get that lucky," Boimler grumbled.
"What's wrong with your mom?" Rutherford asked innocently.
"It isn't exactly one specific thing," Boimler deflected, and Angelica nodded in agreement.
Tendi caught Mariner's eye in a questioning look, and Mariner mouthed, "Tell you later" in reply.
Angelica fed them an amazing three course meal with flavors Mariner had never actually experienced.
"This is the best meal I've had since I left Orion," Tendi sighed happily.
The soft music from the band drifted over to their table and Mariner recognized the music. "This is a great song. You wanna dance?" Mariner asked, looking at Tendi and Rutherford.
"Do you know how to dance?" Tendi asked Rutherford.
"Umm, maybe?" he replied with minor concern.
"Who else took ballroom dancing for phys ed at the Academy?" Mariner laughed, waving her hand.
"Same," Boimler and Tendi replied in unison.
"I guess you're going to teach Ruthie how to dance, Tendi," Mariner said, sliding out of the booth and taking Boimler's hand.
Tendi gave Rutherford a tense smile as they slid out of the booth and followed Mariner and Boimler to the dance floor.
"Surely you've been dancing before, right?" Tendi asked Rutherford as she put her hand on his shoulder.
"I downloaded a dancing program to my implant last year, but I've never used it," he shrugged, taking her right hand and placing his other hand around her waist, pulling her a little closer.
Tendi glanced around the room, too nervous to meet Rutherford's eyes as they swayed slowly to the beat of the music. The dance floor was crowded with couples of all ages, including a Bolian couple who looked to be enjoying themselves.
As they turned slightly, Tendi had a line of sight to Mariner and Boimler. Mariner's head was on Boimler's shoulder, and her eyes were closed. She'd never seen a more serene look on Mariner's face. Tendi could see Boimler whispering something in Mariner's ear with a smile. "I want that," Tendi thought to herself, looking up at Rutherford for a moment.
"I guess I can dance!" Rutherford whispered happily to Tendi.
The song ended and Tendi drug Mariner to the bathroom with her. "You guys are so disgusting. I'm so jealous," Tendi whispered to her on the way down the long hallway.
"I'm sorry," Mariner laughed, putting her arm around Tendi.
"What was he saying to you while we were dancing? I can't believe that Boimler is actually like, romantic," Tendi continued to pout.
"Um, nothing really," Mariner brushed it off, trying not to laugh, "just some dumb cute stuff."
She wasn't about to tell Tendi that Boimler had said, "Your ass looks amazing in those pants."
"How were Rutherford's dancing skills?" Mariner changed the subject as she checked her hair in the mirror. She had gone for a fancier version of her usual ponytail, including a sparkling hair clip placed on the left side of her ponytail.
"Absolutely fine," she said with a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Mariner turned to study her friend.
"Do you think he will ever notice that I'm interested?" Tendi whined.
"Maybe you need to give him a few more obvious clues," Mariner suggested, pulling Tendi out of the bathroom and back to the table where the guys had ordered more drinks, "You know how he is."
"One more dance before we go?" Mariner suggested to Boimler.
Tendi grimaced and looked like she was going to sit it out until Rutherford held his hand out to her and cheerfully said, "Come on Tendi, let's go."
"He thinks she's not interested," Boimler whispered in Mariner's ear, putting his cheek against hers.
"And she thinks he's not interested," she whispered back, trying to concentrate on Tendi and Rutherford while being incredibly distracted by how closely Boimler was holding her.
"They are so clueless, if we can get them to admit it to each other, we may not even have to institute part two of the plan," he pondered.
"Good, because I'd really like to get back to enjoying my own boyfriend," she whispered with a throaty laugh.
"It's only Wednesday. We still have 3 and a half more days of shore leave and unlimited access to transporters," he replied, leaning back to smile at her.
"Plenty of time to get you demoted," Mariner laughed.
They said goodbye to Angelica and thanked her for an amazing meal, inviting her to their bonfire if she got off work early enough.
Rutherford and Tendi were in awe of the rolling hills of the Boimler Vineyard, and Mariner smiled. Despite how much he hated physically being there, Mariner could see how proud Boimler was.
Mrs. Boimler greeted them on the patio, handing Boimler and Rutherford some blankets, wine, and wine glasses. Mariner's mind wandered back to the fantastic time she and Boimler had playing a holodeck program where they boarded and took over a Klingon bird of prey, sharing a bottle of blood wine in victory and drinking it straight from the bottle. She kept that story to herself.
After introductions, Boimler quickly ushered everyone down to the fire pit, trying to get away from his mom as fast as possible. Mariner was sure that Mrs. Boimler gave Tendi a slightly disapproving look but didn't mention it to Boimler.
"She seemed nice!" Tendi observed and Rutherford agreed.
"Imagine being 24 and being told by your mom to bring your friends home so she can meet them," Boimler grumbled, "I'm not nearly drunk enough for this."
"My family would probably kill the three of you if I ever brought you home," Tendi replied with a shrug.
"Ooookay, great," Rutherford laughed uncomfortably.
The fire was already crackling and warm as they spread out the blankets and opened the wine bottles. "Your mom expects us to be classy and drink out of the glasses, doesn't she?" Mariner gently teased Boimler.
"She's mad that I got a promotion," he admitted quietly.
Mariner nodded in understanding, but Rutherford expressed confusion. "My mom is just happy that I quit neutral zone racing," he shrugged.
"I get it," Tendi chimed in, "My family isn't happy that I didn't stay with them and continue to be a pirate."
"I've seen your pirate skills. I can understand why they wouldn't want you to leave," Rutherford said, sitting down on a blanket next to her.
"Wait, why haven't I heard this story?" Mariner demanded, looking over at Tendi.
"It was amazing! Tendi stopped a ship with a latinum tooth!" Rutherford explained, smiling proudly at Tendi.
"A tooth?! Okay, start from the beginning…" Mariner instructed, taking a big swig of wine straight from the bottle.
Hearing Rutherford tell a story about Tendi was incredibly adorable and also resulted in some of the cutest looks on Tendi's face as she sat through the story in embarrassment. Mariner filed the memories away as one of Samvana's cutest moments and was glad that they were all able to spend time together outside of the Cerritos.
Tendi was the first to leave, explaining that she had early morning plans with Dr. T'Ana to go rock climbing. Rutherford bailed almost immediately after, claiming it was time to restart his implant.
Mariner and Boimler laid side by side on the blanket, staring up at the stars and holding hands. "The sky is so clear out here," Mariner whispered.
"I hate it here, but at least you're with me," Boimler sighed, squeezing her hand.
Mariner leaned up on her right elbow so she could look at him. "Then who is going to run the raisin empire?"
"Probably Chad. He actually likes it here," Boimler said.
"What are you going to do when you retire from Starfleet?" Mariner asked, sitting up.
"Mariner, do you have everything figured out already?" he asked her, sounding slightly irritated.
"No, but you do," she said, a little confused at his irritation.
He paused and sighed, sitting up to look her in the eyes. "Yes, I do."
She tilted her head and gazed at him. "Are you going to tell me, or is it a secret?"
"Are you going to make fun of me?" he shot back, slightly more acidly than he intended to be.
She was silent for a minute. She had hit a nerve and she had a choice. Either push him away and leave for the night or be an adult and have a conversation.
"No, I won't," she said softly, meeting his eyes and reaching out for his hand.
"Where's your favorite place in the galaxy?" he asked her, looking down at their intertwined hands, feeling a little guilty for snapping at her.
"Oceana Prime," she replied, confused.
"That's where I'll be. With you," he looked up to meet her eyes.
"Stop," she whispered, holding back tears, "I'm such a fuck up. How can you expect to even want to know me that long?"
Her words hurt his heart but only because he knew she believed them. He saw a tear roll down her cheek and he reached over to pull her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her.
"Don't say stuff like that," he whispered to her, wiping the tears off her cheek, "I meant it when I said I love you."
"I meant it too," she said, sniffling and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Then I think it's pretty safe to say that I'm going to want to know you for a really long time," he smiled at her, "I brought you home to meet my parents, didn't I?"
She smiled sheepishly, unaccustomed to planning a future with someone. She hadn't actually gone home to meet anyone's parents before, so the entire experience was new to her.
They enjoyed a few more minutes of cuddling before Mariner yawned. "I should get you home; it was a long day," Boimler said, hugging her.
"Can you come back with me? And stay?" she asked with an innocent smile.
Of course, he couldn't say no to her, his heart skipping a beat the second she asked. They snuck into the house and upstairs to his room, everyone else having gone to bed hours earlier. Mariner was more than excited to get a glimpse at Boimler's childhood bedroom but was disappointed to see that most of the mementos from his younger days were packed away.
She lounged on his bed as he threw some clothes in a small bag. She silently slid under his covers and curled up with his pillow, hoping to transfer the smell of her perfume and shampoo on to his bed.
"Okay, let's go," he said softly, turning around from his closet. He froze, his imagination racing at finding her in his bed.
"Um, Beck," he whispered, his heart beating a little faster as he stepped closer to her.
She looked up at him and quietly laughed. "Sorry, I was just trying to make your bed smell like me." A strange smile crossed his face, and she recognized it, knowing that he was having all sorts of naughty thoughts at the sight of her in his bed.
"Scoot over," he whispered, dropping his bag on the floor. He joined her under the covers and immediately pulled her close for a kiss. She could feel his desire through the kiss and congratulated herself for bringing out this side of him.
"What are you smiling about?" he whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her neck.
"You think I'm hot," she giggled.
"Duh, I've always thought you were hot. But now you're mine," he said, kissing her neck.
"Do you want to continue this conversation somewhere more private?" she suggested, running her fingers through his hair.
"That's a great idea," he chuckled, kissing her again before sliding out of the bed.
He helped her stand up and then pulled her close. "Something about this outfit," he whispered, running his hands over her butt. She smiled smugly. Boimler may have been a total Starfleet nerd, but he was still a guy, and she knew just how to push his buttons.
They transported to Mariner's apartment, unable to keep their hands off each other. She led him to her bedroom again, the smug smile still on her face. He raised his eyebrow at her with a smirk and willingly followed her.
Tendi sighed and rolled over again, trying to get comfortable. It was weird being alone at night instead of sleeping in the hallway with all of her friends. It was so quiet: no Rutherford talking in his sleep, no towel guy walking by at the strangest times, no Boimler telling Mariner to go to sleep, no comforting sounds from the Cerritos.
The screen of her PADD lit up to display a text message. Her heart leapt when she saw his name on the screen.
"You awake?" Rutherford asked.
"Hi," she replied. He sent back a smiley face emoji.
"I couldn't sleep," he said.
"Me either," she replied, "too quiet."
"You know, I was thinking about our walk the other day. Almost all of my academy memories of San Francisco are gone," he said.
"You should come visit, we can walk around and maybe you will remember," Tendi suggested.
"What are your favorite places?" he asked.
She started typing but was interrupted by an incoming call.
"Hi," he whispered when she answered, "I figured maybe talking would help us go to sleep."
He was laying in his bed, his head on the pillow and his PADD turned sideways, as if she were laying right next to him. The little butterflies in her stomach danced as she laid down as well, also turning her PADD sideways.
"Hi," she whispered back, her heart melting as she imagined they were laying side by side.
"Tell me about San Francisco," he said softly.
She described her favorite parks, restaurants, and views of the ocean to him, watching as he got more drowsy listening to her voice.
"Rutherford, are you still awake?" she asked gently, seeing his eyes closed.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry Tendi," he said with a sleepy smile, "Today was really fun. I missed you."
"I missed you too," she whispered, watching him blink slowly and drift off to sleep again.
Mariner awoke with a jolt, tears streaming from her eyes and her heart pounding an erratic rhythm. She looked around in the dark and reached her hand out to make sure he was still beside her, feeling his warm arms around her waist.
She watched his chest rise and fall, just to be sure that he was breathing as scenes from her nightmare came back to her memory. She wasn't sure why her brain would betray her in such a cruel fashion, but a full-fledged panic attack was on its way, and she couldn't stop it.
"Beckett, I'm sorry, they didn't make it," she heard her father's voice echo in her mind, "The Cerritos was lost with all hands." She shook her head and swallowed hard, hoping to get the vision out of her head. Gently sliding out of bed, she tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the living room.
He had always been a lighter sleeper than her and was always the first one to wake for a red alert. He blinked groggily, noticing that her side of the bed was empty. He grabbed his shirt from the floor where he had discarded it earlier and quietly climbed out of bed.
He heard a sniffle from the living room and then what sounded like muffled sobs. Rounding the corner, he saw Mariner lying face down on the couch, sobbing into a blanket.
"Beck," he whispered, going to her side and sitting on the edge of the couch.
"I'm sorry. I had a nightmare, and I just can't get it out of my head," she explained, her nose stuffy and her eyes red. She sat up, wiping her face and blowing out a steadying breath, hoping she didn't look crazy.
"Don't apologize. What was it about?" he asked softly, reaching up to brush the hair out of her face.
"Everyone died," she choked, "You, my mom, Tendi, Rutherford… The whole ship was destroyed."
He didn't ask any other questions. Dreams weren't logical, so there was no reason to ask for details. He knew that losing her friends and family was her biggest fear.
"Promise me you won't ever die," she whispered, "not without me."
He smiled sadly, "I wish I could promise you that, because I would in a heartbeat."
"I know," she whispered sadly, her throat tight.
"It's Starfleet life," he said, meeting her eyes, "That's why we can't leave things unsaid between us. That's why we took this risk, to be together."
She was silent, studying his face and features to memorize this moment. His hair was all over the place and his eyes were sleepy and he looked at her curiously as she stared.
"What is it?" he asked, touching her face.
"Just memorizing you," she smiled.
"I promise I will always try my hardest to come back to you," he whispered, taking her hands in his, "And I want you to promise me the same."
"I promise," she whispered back, tears threatening to spill from her eyes again. He kissed her forehead gently and squeezed her hand.
"Let's go back to sleep," he suggested, yawning, "You can dream about Crisis Point: 4 instead."
"You're such a guy," she teased, standing up and hugging him.
"I can't help it that you're beautiful," he said, allowing her to lead him back to her bedroom.