Sunday afternoon arrived in a snap, and soon it was time for everyone to pack their bags and head back to the ship. Mariner had enjoyed shore leave more than she ever imagined she could, but she was looking forward to feeling useful again on the Cerritos.
She packed the last of her items in her travel bag and checked the time. Boimler was due to arrive any minute so they could walk to the Starfleet transporter station that was close to her apartment.
They'd spent the last days of their shore leave on the beach in California, meeting up with various crew members for lunch and dinner. News of both Boimler's promotion and their relationship had spread amongst their friends, and they received quite a few reactions of "It's about time!" or "I thought you were already dating."
The door chimed and she smacked the open button on the door controls to let Boimler in. "Hi," he greeted her, stepping inside and grabbing her for a hug.
They were both back in uniform, but Mariner noticed that he hadn't put on his new rank pip. He silently held the velvet box out to her with a sweet smile and said, "Would you do the honors?"
"Boims, why are you so damn sweet?" she laughed, gently opening the box. She held the tiny rank pip in her hand and looked up at him with a smile, pinning it on his collar and admiring it for a moment. His thoughts flashed forward to the future, imagining her pinning on a fourth rank pip instead of just a second.
"We've been years in the making," he said, rubbing his hands up her arms, "I think we spent enough time fighting."
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Come on, lieutenant. We have a transporter beam to catch."
It was a short walk to the Starfleet transporter station, and they walked slowly so that they could savor the last few minutes of their shore leave.
"That was the best shore leave I've ever had," he said, squeezing her hand.
"Me too," she replied, "thank you for kissing me in that stupid closet the other day."
"Thanks for meeting my parents and not running away," he said softly, stopping to pull her into one more hug before they went back to the ship.
She lingered in his arms, closing her eyes and wishing for things to stay like this on the ship. She knew things would be different, and all the time in the past they'd spent together during duty shifts was likely to change due to his new bridge position.
"Do you have any leave saved up?" he asked as they continued walking.
"27 days," she laughed. She had not taken leave since she'd joined the Cerritos.
"I'd have that many if my mom didn't make me take leave on Christmas last year. Angelica got engaged so it was a big deal. As you can see, that didn't last," he laughed.
"So, what's the story there?" Mariner had been curious about Angelica and why she was still single.
"Oh, it's a long story, but I guess we have a little time," he said, finding a park bench for them to sit on for a few last moments.
"Everything seemed perfect at Christmas. Both families were celebrating together on Christmas Eve at my sister's restaurant, and the whole thing was pre-planned. He proposed, all the girls cried, she said yes, and everything was fine. Apparently, it all went south during wedding planning around Easter."
"Angelica wanted to have a small wedding in her restaurant, but mom had talked her into having the ceremony and reception at the Vineyard in June, and then having her restaurant cater the dinner. That had been fine with everyone until the dude's mom and dad insisted that they have their ceremony in the Catholic church. It came out of nowhere and everyone was mad at everyone else. Angelica said that soon the moms were fighting, and her fiancée said some things about our family that were totally out of line. Then his family called Angelica a godless heathen or something to that effect. Mom and Dad flipped out and forbade her from ever seeing the guy again."
Mariner was speechless. "Okay, why didn't they just run off and get married?"
"Angelica begged him to, but he said he didn't love her enough to lose his parents," he explained as Mariner gasped.
"Ouch. Sounds like he never loved her at all," Mariner mused.
"It shouldn't be as bad for us," Boimler said, Mariner barely catching that he had said "us."
"I'm not the oldest, so there's a lot less pressure, and my black sheep status has already been established," he laughed, "besides, I will just tell her to go to hell."
"My mom will probably want me to have a Starfleet wedding just like she and my dad," Mariner said, standing up and following Boimler back on the path to the transporter station.
"That's fine with me," he chimed in.
"Kind of presumptuous, don't you think?" she teased, nudging him with her shoulder, "We've been officially dating for what, a week now?"
"Just trust me," he said with a wink, "I mean, how many times have we faced death together? That is a bonding experience."
"A trauma bond," she teased, taking his hand.
Back on the ship, Boimler was receiving congratulations from most of the officers they saw as they passed through the corridors. Tendi, Rutherford, and Mariner followed him to check out his new quarters, trying not to laugh at Boimler's ass kissing along the way. Luckily, it wasn't too far away from the lower deckers' bunks and would be easy to visit for more of their usual shenanigans.
Mariner's comm badge chirped just as they reached the door, "Ransom to Mariner, please report to my office." Her smile instantly faded.
She and Boimler shared a look of understanding… in fact they had been anticipating this. Rutherford was oblivious, but Tendi saw the shared look and felt Mariner's anxiety.
Mariner's turbolift ride to deck 2 was her last chance to practice a speech that she had been working on since talking to her parents in Venice. She just hoped that she could keep her cool.
"Ensign, please come in," Ransom greeted her at the door. She tried to calm her nerves but just ended up clenching her fists and biting her lip.
"I'm sure you know why I've called you here," Ransom began, sitting down at his desk, staring at her with a critical eye.
"Yes. I assume that the captain informed you about my relationship with Lieutenant Boimler," she said stiffly, trying to regain control of the situation.
Ransom paused and stared at her, instantly making her nauseous. "What could you possibly be thinking, seducing a promising young officer like Boimler?" he asked, a shadow of disgust on his face.
She swallowed her initial reaction and took a deep breath, standing tall. "Sir, with all due respect, I did not seduce him," she calmly replied.
"I know officers like Boimler. They don't end up with girls like you," he retorted, crossing his arms.
"Again, sir, with respect… I ask that you clarify your meaning," Mariner said through gritted teeth, her face becoming redder with each passing second.
"Hot chicks who don't care who they destroy on their path," he said leaning forward. She couldn't tell if this was a joke or reality, but it was extremely unprofessional, and she planned to talk to the captain the second this inquisition was over.
"Sir, I can assure you that I have the utmost respect for Lieutenant Boimler and for his future. However, I know that it is not necessary for me to explain my relationship to you based on court rulings in Riker vs. Starfleet. I will not allow this relationship to impact my duties negatively and I know that Lieutenant Boimler feels the same," she repeated the lines that she had rehearsed in her head, knowing that Ransom wouldn't have a comeback.
"I see you've done your research," Ransom said, leaning back in his chair, "Just know that I have my eye on you, and the second I see this relationship becoming detrimental to Mr. Boimler, I will transfer you off this ship faster than warp 10."
"That will not be necessary. Am I dismissed?" Mariner said, staring directly into Ransom's eyes, challenging him to keep going.
"Dismissed," he grumbled, turning his chairback to her to stare out the window.
Mariner stepped into the hallway, her fingernails digging into her palms. She impatiently waited for the turbolift to arrive so that she could go to the bridge and confront her mother.
The second the captain saw her arrive on the sparsely crewed bridge, Carol knew that Ransom had spoken to her daughter. "My ready room?" she offered in a neutral tone. Mariner's face was beet red, and she was barely holding herself together.
The door swished closed, and Carol leaned against her desk, crossing her arms and looking at Mariner, waiting for the tirade to start. Mariner was shaking at this point.
"Why did you ask Ransom to interrogate me?" she asked, her throat so tight that she could barely speak.
"Beckett, I have to protect my officers. Boimler has a very promising future ahead of him in command. I can't have him being derailed by a relationship that may not last," the captain explained in the same neutral tone.
Mariner felt that jab straight in the heart and did her best to remain calm. It was clear to her that she was being painted as the villain in this story like usual, so she was going to speak her truth and then try to move on.
"If that's how you feel, I want to set the record straight," Mariner began, making eye contact with her mom.
"Beckett, I don't want to hear any excuses—" Carol began, waving off her daughter.
"I love him with all my heart," Mariner said simply, "and no one is more concerned about getting him in the captain's chair than me."
Carol was speechless for a moment, uncrossing her arms.
Mariner powered on, "And I did not seduce him. He pursued ME. I've been in love with him for a YEAR and didn't act on it."
Carol put her hands up in surrender and shook her head, "I can see that you're upset. I just ask that you're careful with him."
"He's an adult. He's 24 years old and we've all underestimated him. You'll see," Mariner said firmly, turning on her heel and walking out of the ready room.
"Beckett—" she heard as the door slid shut, but she was done listening.
30 minutes later, as she hid from the universe in the repair bay, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She knew he would find her; he always did. He had also been summoned to Ransom's office for a chat.
"Hi," Boimler said softly, sitting down next to her on the floor. She could see his reflection in the window, and he looked a little rattled but much more in control than she was.
She tried to talk but her throat was closed from rage, and her heart ached from another betrayal from her mother.
"Look at me," he said in a whisper.
Her brown eyes met his, and he smiled sadly at her. "You didn't deserve that," he whispered, reaching up to wipe the tears that immediately started flowing down her cheeks. She leaned into him and unleashed her angry sobs, finally feeling safe enough to let her feelings out.
"They don't realize what a power couple we are," he said, rubbing her back as her whole body shook, "we'll be more famous than the Rikers." She chuckled a little, sniffling as her sobs slowly extinguished.
"What did he say to you?" she croaked, not ready to look him in the eye yet, "and tell me the truth. Don't sugar coat it."
"Well," he began with a sigh, trying to figure out how to tell the truth yet not induce more tears, "It was mostly a warning that you were going to break my heart and derail my career. And then, um… I laughed at him."
Mariner's head whipped up to be sure she'd heard him correctly. "You laughed at him?"
"He said you seduced me," Boimler said with a smirk, "So I laughed at him and told him that in reality, I seduced you and you tried to talk me out of it."
Mariner shook her head with the beginnings of a smile crossing her face, "I bet he didn't believe you." They shared a laugh and Mariner wiped her face, knowing that she looked like a complete mess at this point.
"I don't care if he believes me or not… we know the truth. And in the end, they will see what we can do," he said reassuringly, pulling her closer to him.
"I love you," she whispered, putting her forehead against his cheek.
"I love you too, baby," he replied, stroking her cheek, Mariner smiling at his use of a pet name for her for the first time. They quietly watched the stars streak by the window, Mariner's heart exploding with love again.