Raxsah: Boom Sha-kah-laka!
Jeck: With a side of fries!
Raxsah: Ugh, can we not talk about food. I'm still full.
Jeck: Delicious, delicious food. Sadly, we can't all eat recreationally like B-Fay does. However, we can read recreationally. :D Shameless promoting!
Raxsah: Hahahahaaa! We are back, and better than ever, or at least… we're back. Hahahaaa!
Jeck: Am I the only one that notices that we are actually getting better as the story goes on? Like… yeah… lol
Raxsah: Better at what? Talking? We were always fantastic at that!
Jeck: Well yeah. We're just fucking sexy beasts like that. Nevermind then, I forgot that we can't be serious. lol
Raxsah: Oh, Hahahahaa, I get it. Sorry, I'm a little out of it. Anyway, we'd like to thank everyone who added this to their favorites and Alerts lists. We appreciate it.
Jeck: And all the lovely reviews. All 3 of you!
Raxsah: Yes, they were quite nice. So, obviously we own nothing of Star Trek, only the OC's.
Jeck: And the whole plot thingy. Tis be OURS!!!!!
Raxsah: Please don't steal, we'd have to come and beat you with a baseball bat if you did.
Jeck: She's kind of crazy, so I'd actually feel bad for you, man.
Raxsah: Just a little. Enjoy!
Chapter 5: You Don't Know How It Feels
When Ryan woke up, he was surprised to see that Claire was nowhere to be found. Alex however, was there and didn't look too pleased. Ryan glanced at a mirror and frowned. His hair was matted a bit, and he looked very worn. He assumed that it had something to do the mass amounts of stress he had recently been under. He looked back at Alex, who began muttering a few things under his breath.
"You look pleasant this morning," Ryan said. Alex scoffed and wrote a few things on his chart.
"You can thank your lovely sister for that one," he muttered.
"Claire? What happened? "Ryan asked, stifling back a yawn. Despite just waking up, he still felt exhausted.
"Two hours of ice packing my balls," Alex mumbled without looking up from his chart.
"Excuse me?" Ryan asked, sitting up in his bed and preparing to fling the sheets off while glaring at Alex. His right hand shot up to his chest, forgetting his wound once again.
"She punched me in the balls, dude. No need to get your hospital gown in a bunch," Alex replied, a little too nasty for Ryan's liking.
"That's my sister," Ryan muttered to himself as he lean back on his bed. Truth be told, he was getting a little skittish from not being able to leave his bed. He was also a little disappointed that Claire wasn't around and he was stuck with her ignorant friend. Though, Ryan figured he shouldn't be that nasty to Alex considering the man just saved his life.
"How are you feeling today, anyway?" Alex asked, pulling out another chart. He grabbed a body monitor from off the table across the room and began scanning Ryan's vitals.
"I'm still pretty exhausted, but I'm doing better. Thanks," Ryan said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. He was grateful, but he wasn't sure that he liked Alex all that much.
"Well, considering your body is expending a lot of energy to heal that wound up and fight any off infection, I'm not surprised. I'm serious when I say to relax here today. Claire will probably be back down later to check on you. Dr. McCoy had to force her to leave last night," Alex explained as he finished checking Ryan's vitals. "Everything seems to be good. Just take it easy today."
"Okay. So, what did you do to piss off my sister?" Ryan asked. Alex paused before giving a nervous cough.
"I uh… I sort of implied some rather rotten things about women in relationships. It didn't end well," Alex confessed. Ryan rolled his eyes.
"Well then you probably deserved it," he muttered.
"Yeah… she'll forgive me, right?" Alex asked. He was really liking the pudding cup deal they had going on, and it would be a shame if he had to lose it.
"Maybe, if you get her something nice," Ryan replied.
"Something nice… like what?" he asked. Ryan shrugged.
"I don't know. Chocolate, flowers, hell you could just go up and say that you were an idiot and that would probably be enough. She's secretly a softy. She forgives too easily," Ryan said. Alex furrowed his eyebrows.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yeah, it helps if you have one of the former two whilst apologizing." Alex nodded and looked at the door, where he saw Claire enter. Alex dropped the chart on the table and walked away, causing Ryan to raise an eyebrow. Claire walked over and sat next to Ryan on the bed.
"Hey, you sleep alright?" she asked. Ryan nodded and noticed that she looked a little more rested than she did the night before, and her hair was washed and detangled. All in all, she looked much better.
"Alright. You know your buddy just ran out of here." She shot a glare in Alex's direction then turned back to him.
"He's a jackass," she muttered.
"He's a guy. He's sorry, I'm sure. The guy seems to be working on two hours of sleep. Stupid shit is bound to come out of his mouth," Ryan said in Alex's defense, but Claire just shook her head.
"Stupid shit is bound to come out of his mouth because he's a guy; sleep has nothing to do with it," she replied.
"Hey! I'm a guy too!" Ryan said loudly, giving his sister a glare.
"You're my brother, I can deal with you. Well… most of the time…" She trailed off as she noticed Ryan's chart on the table. She picked it up and began going over it, giving a nod or two every now and then.
"I suppose that means I'll be alright…" Ryan said. She nodded and placed down the chart.
"Yes… all in all. You'll need to stay in bed for a few more days, but you'll live." Ryan nodded and patted her hand.
"You worry too much, Claire." She let out a very un-lady like snort and shook her head.
"You're one to talk, loser," she said.
"Ouch, I almost die and you're calling me a loser?" he asked.
"You're not dying now. Maybe if you didn't have to be such a freaking hero, you wouldn't have to worry about it." Ryan shrugged and looked around.
"So, you work here?" he said, trying to change the subject. Claire gave him a small glare, but went with the change of subject.
"Yes, I work here. Quite frequently," she replied. Ryan chuckled and moved to sit up a little, noticing that the pain in his chest was nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
"So, you have fun around here?" he asked. She shrugged.
"It can be, depending on what kind of day it is. Some days you have shirtless men walking around and flirting with you, other days you get punched in the face by a patient. It's never boring," she said, not even thinking about what she'd told him. Ryan paused as he took in what his sister said. Now that he was able to get a better look at her face, he saw the pretty large bruise on her eye. And he was far from dismissing her first statement. What did she mean by shirtless men walking around? And why were they flirting with her?
"Care to fill me in a little bit about these shirtless men?" Ryan asked, his anger rising a little bit. Claire noticed the irritation in her brother and crossed her arms.
"Oh, so now you're interested in shirtless men? I didn't really think that you swung that way. Actually, I figured you'd be more interested in that Colleen girl," Claire said with a sneer, knowing that she'd hit a sensitive spot. From the short time she'd been talking to Colleen to the small reaction that she'd gotten out of her brother at those words, she knew there was something between them.
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Ryan said defensively, his face turning red. Claire chuckled to herself.
"Well we don't have to talk about it now, but I want details. I need to know about the girl who's sleeping around with my brother!"
"I'm not sleeping with her! I'm not even dating her," Ryan defended.
"Fine, but you like her. You should ask her out," Claire suggested. Ryan sighed and leaned back.
"We'll see…"
Two days later, no one was given a break, unless you were in a hospital bed, you were working. The same rule applied to Claire, who had been working the graveyard shift for a few days. She couldn't complain though, she was busy and got to see her brother. That was all that mattered. Unfortunately, she was also stuck with Alex a majority of the time. Both of them had pretty much kept their distance from each other, but Claire knew that she needed a friend in sickbay. Alex was an ass, but he looked out for her and kept her company as best he could. He was a decent guy, but an ass.
"So, Doctor Conaway, how long do you think I'll have before I can get out of here?" Rupert asked. Claire smiled and filled a few things out on his chart.
"Not too long, though I don't know what you are going to do. Until we get back to earth there isn't much fun going around," she told him.
"Sure there is fun, you just need to know where to look," Rupert told her.
"Oh really? What sort of fun could you possibly be looking for?" she asked, putting his chart down.
"Let me put it this way… back on the Berlin, there was two girls, one of which would be scary to sleep with, since she is my boss and all." Claire shook her head and turned a little red.
"Enough said…" Before Rupert could say anything else, a voice cut in.
"Claire, I need to talk to you." Claire looked over and Alex and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She turned back to Rupert and smiled.
"I'll be back, just try and remain calm… you'll be out of here soon enough." He smiled and she let Alex drag her into a supply closet. He closed the door and turned to her, watching as she fixed him with a glare and crossed her arms.
"Look, I'm sorry. My dad was an earth military man and had certain values that he just beat into me. And I mean, every minute of every day. I was wrong, I'm an idiot, but I like hanging out with you a lot more than I like hanging out with Pam. Not to mention you're hotter, and I like to tell all the guys in engineering that you're my girlfriend, which you kind of are."
"Alex-"
"I'm sorry, I really am. I want to be friends… I miss the desert I get for helping you out. And other stuff of course, but you know…" Claire rolled her eyes.
"Don't beg, it's not a very flattering look for you," Claire stated simply, running a hand through her hair. Alex smiled regardless.
"Using my own words against me, touché."
"Be happy it's your words and not a chainsaw," Claire told him, preparing to leave the closest.
"Wait a second!" Alex whispered, grabbing her arm.
"What?" She asked, glaring back at Alex.
"So we're cool then? We're going to pretend to go out again and I get your pudding cups, right?" Claire nodded and Alex grinned.
"Now, can I go back to work before the evil one comes around to see that we're not working?"
"Well actually, I was thinking that we could mess up our clothes a bit. Make it look like we were getting down and dirty," Alex suggested, obviously getting turned on by the idea.
"But we weren't," Claire stated, trying to make Alex back off a bit.
"We can if you want."
"You're a pervert."
"And you love me," Alex replied, almost faster than Claire could process.
"You know my brother is in there, right? If he saw that… well, you might question whether he was injured at all. He'd kick your ass to earth and back." Alex paused and nodded.
"Good point, we'll get down and dirty after he leaves." Claire rolled her eyes and opened the door, almost walking straight into Doctor McCoy.
"Crap," she muttered.
"Conaway, Chambers… I don't know what your fascination is with this supply closet, but you better get over it quick and get back to work. And I mean now!"
"Yes sir!" Claire muttered, slinking past him and walking over to Liam, who was making eyes at Alex as he walked by.
"Is that your boyfriend?" he asked. Claire nodded and grabbed his chart.
"Something like that… how are you feeling?" she asked.
"Fine, there is no sign of any internal bleeding, my blood pressure is normal, not external scars to speak of, my concussion is long gone, and the only thing elevated is well… maybe I shouldn't say it around young ladies." Claire turned red when she realized what he was talking about, and set the chart down.
"So uh… you seem to know a lot about medicine," she muttered. Liam shrugged.
"I was a doctor before I became a pilot. I'm thinking about switching back though, I almost forgot how much fun being a doctor was," he said, gesturing to a nurse who was checking a shirtless patients stats. Claire couldn't hide back the smirk as she walked over to him.
"Mr. Peterson-"
"Call me Liam, sweetie. Mr. Peterson reminds me of my dad," he said, giving a grimace as well. Claire frowned.
"Did you not get along with your father?" she asked. He shrugged.
"There were moments where we got along, but after I came out, things were different. He was there for me, but he wasn't… you know?" Claire gave a soft smile and nodded.
"Yeah, I know all about that." There was a pause between them before she spoke once more. "You should be able to be out of here in a few hours, let me just notify Nurse Chapel." He nodded and leaned back, letting her walk to the medical station.
"Mr. Peterson is ready to check out in a few hours, let Doctor McCoy know." Nurse Chapel nodded and went back to work. Claire glanced over to her brother and saw him and Colleen talking. The look in her brother's eyes made it obvious that he cared for her, she only hoped she wouldn't break her brother's heart.
"Hey Claire, before you go I have a quick question." Claire turned around to see Liam who didn't even bother looking at her. His eyes were drawn to the other side of the room where her 'boyfriend' was currently working with a patient.
"Yes, Liam?"
"Do you think that I could get some sloppy seconds when you're done with him?"
"So you're doing okay?" Colleen asked, placing a hand of concern over Ryan's hand. His cheeks had a tint of red as he swallowed a lump that was slowly forming in this throat.
"I'm great. I'm sure I'll be out of here soon. They just need to make sure that everything is healing the way it should be," He explained, lifting up his shirt to show her the bandage covering his chest. Her eyes became sad, remembering everything that the crew of the Berlin had been through. She'd heard a few members had even died and she prayed that Oliver hadn't met the same fate, even if he was a little annoying weasel of a man.
"I'm glad to see that you're doing better. I figured that with everything that had happened, you'd be… I don't know, more depressed." Ryan nodded and looked down at the bed, noting the little patterns that were sewn into the sheet.
"I'm not saying that I'm not because I am. I lost my best friend. But I can't be sad because I'm with my sister again and all my closest friends made it out alive," Ryan explained, his hand slipping out from underneath Colleen's hand and gripping her hand tighter. "And you're here." Colleen smiled at his corny line, but she understood.
"I'm glad that you made it out alive too. We'd heard that you weren't looking too good coming off the ship and we were worried. Especially Liam, you know that he acts more like a girl than me sometimes." The two broke out into laughter as Claire walked up to her brother.
"You're friends are weird… no offense," Claire said, looking at Colleen at the last part. Colleen shrugged and smiled.
"No offense taken." Ryan smiled and looked at his sister.
"Why are my friends weird?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.
"Liam just asked if he could have Alex when I was done with him. How am I supposed to answer to that? Yeah, go ahead, take my boyfriend and do naughty things with him." Ryan became deathly pale and Colleen shrugged.
"Well, if you're done with him. Wouldn't that mean that you are broken up, so he would be your ex-boyfriend." Claire paused then nodded.
"True… I doubt Alex would go for him though. Not only is he straight, but he's that asshole kind of straight." Ryan coughed a little and tried to sit up.
"Alex is your what now?" he asked. Claire paused when she realized what she had said, and smiled nervously.
"Hey, I think I hear Doctor McCoy coming to yell at me, I better get to work," she said, turning around and walking away. Ryan went to stand up, but Colleen pushed him down.
"Relax, she'll be around later. It's not like she can run very far. We don't dock for earth for some time." He nodded.
"I know, but still." Colleen laughed at his protective manner toward Claire. It was quite endearing, and she wondered if he had the same effect with his significant other. Sure it might have been annoying, but it was nice to know someone was worried about you.
"So, what are you going to do when you get back to earth?" she asked. Ryan shrugged.
"Not sure… probably have to deal with a huge court marshal thing for Shay and Griffin." Colleen nodded.
"Yeah, you and Captain Kirk are going to be very busy," she said. Ryan rolled his eyes at the mention of Captain Kirk. True the guy saved his life, but after that night at the bar, he was sure that he couldn't look the man in the eye.
"Don't mention Kirk," Ryan muttered. Colleen looked confused.
"Why?" she asked.
"We just… didn't have a good first impression," Ryan said. She still was confused, but shrugged.
"I see… well… what are you going to do after all the junk with Starfleet is over?" he shrugged.
"Find a bar. You want to join me?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.
"I don't really do bars. My dad's liver failed after 54 years of drinking," Colleen explained, causing Ryan's face to fall at the rejection. Colleen noticed it and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"But you can definitely take me out for coffee." At those words, Ryan's face lit back up.
"It's a deal."
"Stop complaining!" Claire shouted as she pushed her brother off of the small shuttle that had just docked in the Starfleet docking port.
"I'm perfectly capable of walking!" Ryan yelled back from the wheelchair that he had been confided to. Dr. McCoy had ordered that Ryan remain in it for the day and he wasn't going to say no to that. His sister, however, was a different story.
"Are you trying to get me in trouble with my boss? Besides, I agree with him. I think that one more day of taking it easy is good for you," she snapped. Ryan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"This is ridiculous. I am a twenty four year old man, this is stupid," Ryan said.
"Yet you complain like a fifty year old woman. Shut up and enjoy the ride. It could be worse…" she told him.
"Really? Like how?" he asked.
"I could get Colleen to push you around. How cute would that be? Having your girlfriend pushing you around Starfleet. It's so cute!" Ryan paused then let out a exasperated sigh.
"Fine. Gosh, I hate when you're right." Claire rolled her eyes and froze, causing Ryan to look up at her. "Claire? You alright?" he asked.
"The prisoners from the Berlin just arrived," she said softly. He looked in her line of vision just in time to see them pull Griffin out of the shuttle. As soon as he was out, his icy blue eyes met Ryan's stony grey. There was so much anger held in his eyes, it was almost frightening. Though, Ryan couldn't blame him. In some weird way, he was sure that Griffin felt Ryan had betrayed him. Though it was far from the truth, it was understandable.
"Come on Claire… let's go." He said. She paused.
"Ryan…"
"Come on, don't you want to see your new apartment? They give them to all official Starfleet officers." Claire began to roll him out of the shuttle bay.
"I know what you are doing, just for that, I'm taking the stairs." Ryan chuckled, though it was a bit forced.
"You're mean… I don't want to have my leg broken just as I'm allowed to walk." They walked out of the bay and into the warmth of San Francisco. Claire was glad to be back on earth, though, she was slowly enjoying life on a starship. There was one thing earth had that the Enterprise would never get close too. The sun. Even growing up in a big city, she had loved the sun.
"You just don't want to break your leg before your date with Colleen," she said, forgetting the sun for a moment and continuing the conversation. Ryan blushed a deep shade of red as he glared up at his sister.
"You were adopted," he said bluntly, causing her to burst out laughing.
"Dude, there is no way that we're not related. We both have blonde hair, though yours is darker, and the same grey eyes. Look, we even have the same nose!" Claire said, stopping his wheelchair and pointing to her nose.
"I remember when that used to work…" he mumbled to himself, though Claire clearly heard him.
"Yeah, when I was like six and you were eight, dumb-dumb," she said as they neared the Starfleet Medical Center.
"Hey wait, why are we going there? I thought we were going to the Ensign housing building," Ryan asked as the sign came into view.
"We need to check you in first, to make sure you're not carrying any infectious diseases that could have been caused by your injury. Don't worry, you'll be showered and ready to meet up with Colleen later," Claire told him, whisper that last part in his ear just in case the object of his affections was standing nearby.
"You're not going to let that go, are you?" he asked her. He shrugged and wheeled him into the medical building and taking him to a bed.
"Nope, now get on the bed and I'll get a doctor," she told him.
"Why can't you just do it?" he asked, boosting himself onto the bed.
"Because I have to get my shots too… stop being a baby and sit tight." Claire turned and walked up to the med station.
"We have a patient ready to be checked for any infectious diseases." The nurse looked up and nodded.
"Very well, have you been checked out yet?" she asked.
"Oh, uh… no. I need to be checked." The nurse nodded and stood.
"Go sit on an empty bed, a doctor will be there in a moment." Claire nodded and sat on the closest bed, her eyes fixed on her boots. They were quite worn, and even had a few holes near the soles. She would probably have to buy new ones, not that she wouldn't have time now.
"Alright, what the hell is wrong with you?" Claire's eyes shot up and flinched when she realized McCoy was her check in doctor.
"Dude, didn't you just get off the shuttle like… five minutes ago?" McCoy grabbed her chart.
"Senior officers arrived an hour ago," he stated plainly.
"But like… why would you go straight to work here?" she asked. He began to get a few vaccines together and turned toward her.
"I don't need to explain my motives to you, I'm your senior," he snapped. He placed a hypo spray to her neck and injected it. She hissed and rubbed the spot where he injected it.
"I'm off duty, and you can't kick me off the ship." McCoy rolled his eyes as he injected her with a few more vaccines.
"You're done, now get out of here." She got off the bed and straightened out her uniform. She couldn't wait to change into something more comfortable.
"Thanks… I think," she muttered. McCoy rolled his eyes and went off to another patient, while Claire walked over to her brother, who just got finished being injected with the last of his vaccines.
"Damn, I hate that thing! Jeez, I thought they were going to try to give me a hypo spray tattoo mark on my neck!" Ryan complained as Claire began wheeling him out of the Starfleet Medical Center.
"Don't whine, you sound like a little girl," she shot back, causing him to shut up. Just like every other normal guy, Ryan was all about preserving his masculinity. Claire had found out that cheap shots about his being like a girl were the easiest way to win in an argument.
"So, what are you planning on doing on your first night back on earth?" Ryan asked, trying to change the subject.
"Probably hitting up a bar or two tonight, my favorite pastime," she said, checking a map on the side of the sidewalk to find the Starfleet housing.
"Oh, lovely. Please, try not to get wasted and hook up with a random guy," Ryan warned, causing Claire to roll her eyes angrily.
"Ryan, chill out. All you do is bitch and nag all the time! I'm quite sick of it!" Claire snapped without taking her eyes off the map. Ryan glare back at her and attempted to stand up from his wheelchair. His legs felt weak since no one had really given him a chance to walk around and the sudden movement made him feel a little light headed.
"I'm sick of you acting like there are no risks in the world. There are always repercussions to your actions, Claire." Ryan told her sternly. He grabbed supported of the wheelchair arm as he wobbled slightly, his legs still getting the feel for walking again. Claire turned around just in time to see how unbalanced he was.
"Ryan Tyler Conaway, you sit back down in the chair right now!"
"Jesus Claire, I'm not five years old!" he snapped. She shoved him back into the chair and began pushing him toward the direction of the housing.
"Then stop acting like a child." She hissed. Ryan went to say something but Claire cut him off by lightly slamming him into a bench.
"Fuck!" he hissed.
"Oops, my bad," Claire muttered, and began pushing him toward the housing.
"Claire Ad-"
"Don't even go there!" she hissed, causing Ryan to stop. "I swear to God, I'm not against breaking your leg." He frowned and crossed his arms.
"No good little sisters," he muttered.
"No good big brothers," she replied. Ryan didn't say anything else as they entered the housing.
Claire walked into the medical bay on Starfleet academy, and straightened her Starfleet jacket, which she sort of stole from the academy's washroom. She was sure that she was not allowed to wear jeans when she was 'working,' but as far as she was concerned, they took her from her night of awesome drinking.
"Alright, did you really need to call me in? There is no one here!" Claire snapped. The nurse looked over her attire and shook her head.
"Doctor McCoy was supposed to be on shift tonight, but Captain Kirk said that he was needed and to call you," the nurse said. Claire raised an eyebrow and ran a hand through her hair, which she had let down for this first time after keeping it up for a good two months.
"This is my first night off in a month! I was just about to go to a bar and possibly meet my future husband, and now I have to work?" The nurse stood up and handed her a chart.
"Welcome to Starfleet darling. You can keep the jeans, but loose the shoes. I'm not a doctor, but I'm sure working in your heels isn't comfortable," the nurse said. Claire sighed and slipped off her heels, rubbing the soles of her feet before searching the place before finding a pair of boots. Luckily they weren't too big for her to work in, so she began to make rounds.
"When I get my hands on Kirk I swear to God I will strangle him," She hissed. After walking around the center for a bit, she realized that no one was even around except for her and the nameless nurse who seemed buried deep in paperwork. It looked like it was going to be a long mind-numbing night.
"So your sister is busy at the bars tonight?" Colleen asked as she mixed some cream and sugar into her coffee. Ryan nodded as he licked the whipped cream off the top of his own coffee. He always had a sweet tooth ever since he was a little kid, though surprisingly, he had really nice teeth and never once had a cavity.
"That's what she told me earlier today. She was carting me around as if I was some old guy who couldn't walk," Ryan grumbled as he looked up at Colleen, the low lighting of the café making her look beautiful, relaxed, and even a bit seductive. Ryan gulped at the last thought, trying to keep a level head while he drank his coffee.
"Everyone is just concerned about you, that's all. And by the way, you have a little something on your face." he furiously tried to wipe away any traces of coffee from his face, causing Colleen to laugh.
"Sorry," he muttered. She picked up a napkin and leaned in.
"Here, I've got it," she said, wiping it away from his lips. Her turned bright red and she smiled even wider.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he gave an awkward cough and leaned back in his seat.
"So um… what made you join Starfleet?" he asked. She shrugged and crossed her arms and leaned on the table.
"I don't know, I just wanted to do something when it came to starships. I love the feeling you get when you repair a warp core, it's just… amazing." Ryan smiled and nodded a little.
"It really is an amazing feeling," he muttered. There was a small silence between them.
"So, why did you join Starfleet?" she asked. He leaned forward and took a sip of his coffee.
"Well, there was nothing for me in New York-"
"New York city? That's where you lived?" she asked. He nodded.
"Yup, born and raised there." She nodded.
"Wow, I'm from Miami," she told him.
"No kidding, I've never been there," He said.
"It's pretty nice, very warm. I've been to New York once or twice, it's very big." He nodded.
"Easy to get lost in, that's for sure." She nodded then laughed a little bit.
"I'm sorry, I totally cut you off. Why did you join Starfleet?" she asked.
"Right, well… I just didn't want to be home. I would've been out of my house at eighteen if it wasn't for Claire. When she was old enough to move out, I figured the best place for me to go would be Starfleet, so… here I am." She frowned.
"Why did you want to leave home so bad?" she asked. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I think that's more of a third date thing to talk about at the least." She laughed.
"What makes you think there would be a second date?" she asked, her eyebrows raising.
"Well, would you go on a second date with me?" he asked. She smiled and shrugged.
"I might consider it." Ryan chuckled and took hold of her hand, causing her to blush and him to smirk.
"Okay, this has got to be the most boring Friday night I have ever had," Claire snapped. The nurse looked up from her pile of paper work and shrugged.
"Maybe you shouldn't have become a doctor," she suggested. Claire sighed and scrunched her hair up before letting it fall back to being its regular length of being halfway down her back.
"Maybe, maybe I should give Captain Kirk a nice kick in the nads," she said. The nurse, whom she found out was named Jane, raised an eyebrow.
"What did you do to piss Kirk off?" she asked. Claire scoffed.
"Why does it have to be something I did?" she inquired. Jane simple gave her a look.
"What did you do?" Claire pressed her lips together before giving a heavy sigh.
"I refused to date him, or I guess his version of a date is 'meet me in bed naked,' and I'm not one to put out on a first date." Jane's eyes went wide.
"You turned down a date with Jim Kirk?" she asked. Claire gave a frustrated groan.
"Dear lord, why does everyone think I'm crazy for turning him down?" Jane gave a small laugh.
"Because you are," she told her. Claire scoffed. Maybe she was crazy. Any other girl would have killed to be in her position, and a part of her liked being in her position. However, she knew he had a track record of using women then dumping them. She knew for a fact that she would not be able to endure that sort of relationship. No matter how much she yearned to give into his offer, she refused in order to protect herself. Despite what people may have believed, her nights of fun usually ended up with her heading home alone, and the few that didn't was mostly due to the amount of alcohol that she had consumed.
"Maybe you should just sleep with him. You might even get a few perks instead of getting punished." Claire rolled her eyes.
"I would kill for a trauma patient right now," Claire muttered. As if blessed by the heavens, a sound echoed through the room as if the front door had been forced open.
"What was that?" Jane asked, paranoia settling in. Claire was startled at first, but realized that this kind of thing happened all the time while being a doctor. True, it didn't normally happen at one in the morning, but it did happen none the less.
"Chill Jane, it's probably just an emergency," Claire said, trying to soothe the petrified nurse who had begun shaking in fear. Working in an empty building in the middle of the night tended to be a little frightening. A man ran up to Claire from the main entrance.
"Are you the doctor on call?" He asked as a few more men followed from behind him. He appeared to be out of breath, but his posture and his sentence seem unaffected.
"Yes I am. What's the matter?" She asked back, noticing the men were supporting a man with long brown hair. His legs were dragging across the ground and he appeared to be unconscious. His face was hidden, but it was clear that he was injured. His arms were covered in blood and a dark wet spot on his prisoner outfit appeared to be sticking to his skin.
"This prisoner was severely wounded during a fight." The man told her as Claire realized that all these men were prison guards. The black outfits should have set her off right away, but she was too tired to really notice.
"Alright, bring him this way," Claire instructed them, leading them to one of the open rooms in the back. She flicked a light switch on and grabbed a fresh pair of gloves from out of the box on the table. The men brought the man's limp body into the room and almost threw him onto the patient's bed.
"Will that be all, ma'am?" The head officer asked as the other men inched out, trying to get to the front door.
"Yes, yes, just go. I'm sure you guys have much more important things to do than watch me fix this guy up," she said, turning to the unconscious man on the table.
"We have two men who will be waiting out front when you're finished with him. He's still a very dangerous person and I suggest that you keep him heavily sedated or restrained to the bed. Have a wonderful evening, doctor," he said, turning on his heel and leaving the room. Clair raised an eyebrow and looked down at the person on the table. She could've sworn her heart stopped. The man was none other than her brother's friend Griffin. She quickly placed him in restraints and took a step back.
"Of course you have to just get killed or whatever," she snapped. She opened up his prisoner shirt and flinched at the sight of his wounds. It looked like someone had taken a sharp object and attempted to strike him with it. In an effort to fight back, he had gotten a few really bad cuts on his arms and torso's.
"What do you need?" Jane asked.
"I need a few antibiotic shots, and some bandages. Oh, and a lot of sedatives." Jane paused before frowning.
"We're out of sedatives. We get them tomorrow morning." Claire gave a frustrated groan and began to listen to his heart.
"Alright, just get me what you can." Jane nodded and ran off to help her out. Claire grabbed a needle and began to stitch up his wound when she had cleaned it. Even she had to flinch at how deep it was. Not to mention the mass amount of bruises all over his body. Whatever he was doing, he didn't stand a chance.
"Here, I can see if I can scrounge up some sedatives if you really need them." Claire shook her head and focused on her stitching.
"No, just give him the antibiotics and get ready to help me bandage him. This is the only thing I can stitch, everything else will heal in a few hours," Claire said. There was a silence between them while Claire finished up her stitching. They quickly wrapped up the worst of the wound and Claire began to heal the smaller cuts on his arms and on his chest.
"All the antibiotics are injected. And the guards want to know when they can take him back." Claire rolled her eyes and finished wrapping his wounds.
"He just had a sharp, I don't even know what, stuck in him. He is not allowed out of this bed for at least a day. If they have a problem with it, tell them they can complain to the head of medical around here," she snapped. Jane nodded and turned back to the door, ready to tell the guards. Claire sighed and looked at her job well done. She wrote a few things on his chart and turned away to leave, only to have a hand reach out and pull her back.
"Hey!" she said, before realizing who the only person who could've grabbed her would be. Turning back, her grey eyes met his icy blue eyes, and she felt her blood freeze.
"Claire…" he muttered. His voice was weak and his grip wasn't that strong, but his face was angry and determined.
"G-Griffin," she stuttered, not sure what to make of the situation. He had betrayed her brother and almost got him killed. She tried to pull away, but the weak grip tightened to keep her from running away.
"You don't understand…" he said sadly in a raspy voice. Claire considered offering him water, but remembered the situation. What was there to understand? After everything she had heard that went down on the Berlin, she probably shouldn't have even treated his wounds.
"Let go of me, Griffin, or I'll scream and those guards will come running in here," Claire warned, struggling to get out of his grasp. He let go willingly, but he didn't take his eyes away from her.
"Don't look at me like that, Claire," he warned, but it didn't sound so threatening as he began coughing. Against her better judgment, Claire grabbed and empty glass and filled it halfway with water before walking over to his bed. She gently raised his head, his greasy hair slippery in her fingers, and titled the cup back slowly so he could drink.
"I heard what happened, so don't even feed me some sob story," she told him, setting the glass aside when he was done. He tried fighting the restrains, but realized it was no use.
"You don't even have the slightest clue to what happened on that ship," he said in a slightly clearer voice, though he still sounded tired and weak.
"Care to enlighten me then?" She snapped, turning to put her medical equipment away. He sighed and wanted to run a hand over his face, but the restraints stopped him from that.
"I know you don't understand. You probably never will." Claire turned toward him and watched as his eyes traced over his surroundings. Claire stepped toward him and let her eyes rest on his bandage.
"What happened?" she asked. Griffin sighed.
"It was new, I never had been on a ship like that before-"
"All of us were new Griffin, that isn't an excuse," she snapped. Griffin looked at her, their eyes meeting.
"You don't understand, I was alone. I had no friends, I was a shitty engineer, and there was nothing I could do about it. Then Captain Shay was there, and he just… he helped me," Claire crossed her arms.
"That's a poor excuse," she told him.
"You don't get it! Captain Shay… he's convincing. He knows how to get someone when they are down. I was alone, I couldn't talk to Ryan because he's always fucking busy, I had no friends, and I was nothing. A week of talking to Captain Shay I was a lieutenant, all of a sudden people were talking to me. On a starship, it's not like the Academy. I was the only new recruit on the Berlin, I just… I needed someone." Claire paused as she looked him over.
She didn't know Griffin as well as her brother did. It was strange seeing him so broken down, seeing him vulnerable. What happened to the cocky guy she knew in the academy? He must have died the moment he set foot on that ship. It seemed like something in everyone who entered that ship died a little. She sat on the chair next to him. His eyes watched her every movement.
"You were wrong; don't think for a second that you were right in any aspect. Life sucks, but I'm sure you'll get over it." She paused as her eyes met his. "Everyone get's lonely, Griffin. Might be when it comes to love, or friendship, or just having someone there. We all feel alone, and that sucks. We eventually feel as though we have no other choice but to give into the first thing that offers us hope, yet sometimes that thing isn't always the best solution. That's where right and wrong come in. You either hope to find something better, or you give in. Either way you're not going to end up anywhere good quickly." Griffin was silent for a moment before Claire spoke again.
"I read a lot," she explained. A small chuckle left his lips and another silence fell upon them.
"I don't think I'm wrong. I don't think I'm a bad guy," Griffin told her. Claire stood up and shrugged.
"And that is why you are," she told him. He took in a deep breath and looked away from her.
"You don't understand," he whispered. She sighed and wrote a few things on his chart before putting it down.
"No, I don't and I doubt that I ever will," she snapped, getting ready to leave.
"Just five more minutes. Give me five more minutes and you'll understand everything." Claire stopped, paused, and hesitantly took a seat next to Griffin. She knew that she shouldn't have decided to stay, not only did he betray his whole crew, attack and kill innocent people, but he also betrayed her brother. She shouldn't have stayed.
"Fine. Five minutes. Go," she told him, crossing her arms angrily. She was angrier at herself than anything else.
"Captain Shay convinced me that what we were doing was right and he gave me power. He gave me the chance to do something right and have people respect me in return. You probably don't believe me, but I was helping to create a better world for us and for our future families. We were working towards the future!" Griffin yelled out, pulling on his restrains. Claire jumped up and started for the door again.
"Go back to sleep, the sooner you get healed, the sooner you are out of here," She snapped, walking away. He heard nothing from her except the sound of her boots walking away.
"Are you mad you didn't get to have a drink tonight?" Colleen asked. Ryan shrugged as he walked next to her.
"Not really, I won't have a horrible headache in the morning," he replied. She chuckled and took his hand.
"Well, I'm glad I'm helping you out with not getting a headache." He smiled and nodded.
"I guess I owe you one," he said.
"I'm sure you'll make it up to me." Colleen gave him a crooked smile.
"Name your terms." She thought it over before she stopped walking and turned to face him.
"One good night kiss, and I'll call it even." Ryan blushed madly and looked down.
"Well, uh… Colleen. I'm not exactly-"
"I'm going to reconsider. Just kiss me," she said. Ryan sighed and leaned in, letting one of his hands rest on her cheek. Colleen's green eyes simply gazed in to stony grey as he leaned down and gently pressed his lips onto hers. His heart felt lighter, and he had quite a hard time containing the smile that made its way to his lips. When he pulled away and let his eyes trace over her gorgeous face. Her eyes were closed only for a minute before they opened, and a smile graced her own lips.
"Even?" he asked. She chuckled.
"Oh yeah, I might even throw in another date if you give me something a little better." He chuckled and leaned in for another kiss.
Jim took another sip of his drink as he tried to scope the bar out for his next woman of the night. So far he had been quite unsuccessful. Every girl he had met had either been too much of a ditz for him, or just wasn't pretty enough. He was shallow, he knew it, but he was not going to settle.
"Are you just going to stare at every girl at the bar?" McCoy asked, taking a sip of his whiskey. Jim glanced at his friend and shrugged, taking another sip of his beer.
"I'm trying to find a girl good enough for the night," Jim told him.
"Since when did you try and find? You usually just flirt with the first girl you see at a bar." Jim shot him a look and continued to look around the bar.
"Well, tonight I'm trying to find the woman I'm going to marry," Jim said. McCoy snorted and raised an eyebrow at his friend.
"You said that the last time you were in this bar, you remember what happened?" Jim flinched at the memory.
"I remember a broken nose, I also remember how lovely that blonde looks in a Starfleet uniform," Jim said, smiling at the last part. McCoy scoffed, knowing exactly which blonde he was talking about.
"Whatever, why don't you just find another blonde to bother. Hopefully this one won't have an older brother that is willing to break your nose." Jim said nothing while he searched the bar.
"I don't want to meet another blonde," Jim muttered. McCoy paused and furrowed his eyebrows at him.
"You always want to meet a blonde," McCoy said.
"Well I don't now… I'm thinking more of a brunette, or a red head." McCoy watched his friend carefully. He knew Jim better than anyone else, except maybe his mother and brother. He knew that though Jim could be shallow, he never was picky when it came to a one night stand, especially this late at night. By this point, he was willing to pick up any female species that would be willing and looked halfway decent. Yet tonight, he wouldn't even bother with an Orion, which was a shock in itself.
"Are you getting sick?" McCoy asked. Jim raised an eyebrow and looked at his friend.
"Why would you ask that?" he inquired. McCoy just shrugged.
"You've just been weird is all," he muttered. Jim shrugged and let his eyes wander around the bar once more before landing on someone. "You find a redhead?"
"No, I found a cheater," Jim snapped. McCoy followed his line of gaze and gave a disbelieving to Jim.
"What is your problem?" he asked. Jim just kept his eyes on the man, watching as he whispered something seductive into a woman's ear.
"That's Chambers, right? That's one of your doctors?" McCoy wanted to yell at him, but figured he'd might as well entertain him.
"Yes, that is. I believe his first name is Alex," McCoy told him.
"And he's dating Claire, right?" Jim asked.
"I guess, I really don't care." Jim ignored the last part and slammed his drink on the bar.
"He's cheating on his girlfriend! He's kissing some random brunette! Can you believe him?" McCoy just watched as his friend began to steam.
"Jim, who cares? It's none of your business."
"Like hell it's not! Claire-"
"Is just some chick you're flirting with. You're not dating her, you're not even friends with her. What does it matter?" he asked. Jim paused as he thought it over. He really didn't have any business butting in like that. He didn't know her, not very well anyway. He just knew that she was very keen on saying no to him, and he was very keen on trying to get her to say yes. In the end, that's all that mattered to him.
"I just… don't like him cheating on his girlfriend." McCoy raised an eyebrow.
"And that's the only reason?" he asked. Jim shot him a look.
"Yes, would there be any other reason?" McCoy simply watched his friend stare evilly at the young doctor across the way. He would be lying if he said this wasn't the first time he had gotten so defensive about something like this. He just didn't know why he was this time.
"No, I guess there wouldn't be," he muttered, going back to his drink.
Claire walked into the court hall, ready to watch the hearing of the Berlin crew, and sat down next to Alex. He gave her a nod and sat leaned back in her chair.
"I hardly got any sleep last night," she muttered. He pulled a bag of popcorn out of his pocket and began chewing on it.
"Me neither, I found this smoking babe at the bar, and let me tell you…" he trailed off as he began to eat more popcorn.
"You're seriously eating popcorn?" she asked in disbelief. Alex just nodded and offered her the bag.
"Want some?" He asked, completely oblivious to Claire's shock.
"No!" She snapped, grabbing the popcorn from him. He gave her a sad puppy face, causing her to glare at him.
"Please?" He asked in the most pathetic voice the he could muster up, but she just shook her head.
"It doesn't work on me, Alex. I used to do it to my brother all the time." Alex gave up trying and folded his arms angrily. Claire sighed and handed the popcorn back to him. "Fine, just eat it quickly."
"I love you, Claire-bear!" Alex said excitedly as he grabbed the popcorn back and began shoving it in his face again. She rolled her eyes and watched as more people filed in. She also watched as Captain Kirk walked in and looked around. His eyes met hers for a moment before turning to Alex and giving him a death glare. Claire's eyebrows furrowed as she turned toward Alex.
"Why is Kirk giving you that look?" she asked. Alex looked up and searched the room.
"What look?" he asked, his mouth still full of popcorn.
"The 'I'm going to kill you,' look. He seems pretty mad," she muttered. Alex paused before swallowing his food.
"You think it's the popcorn?" he asked. She paused before giving a small chuckle.
"Yes, I really think he cares if you're eating popcorn. What did you do to him?" Alex shrugged.
"Nothing. What did you do to him?" he asked.
"Why does someone always assume I've done something?" she snapped.
"Because you usually have done something," a voice said. Claire turned toward the voice and rolled her eyes.
"You are not helping Ryan," she hissed.
"Just letting you know. You are notoriously known for getting yourself in trouble," he said while sitting down next to her.
"Shouldn't you be sitting down in the front?" she asked. He shrugged.
"They never requested me, so I assume not." He paused and looked over. "You two aren't going to start making out in the middle of the hearing, that's kind of gross." Alex began to choke on the little bit of popcorn he was eating and Claire smacked his back to stop him from choking.
"Maybe we will, at least I'm getting a little action," she snapped at her brother.
"Well… actually…" Alex was soon cut off by Ryan.
"I get action too. I just went out on a date with Colleen last night," Ryan told her. Claire rolled her eyes.
"Please, I don't think that's getting any action. That's like virgin dating. I bet you didn't even make-out. It was probably sweet little kisses right?" she asked.
"That is none of your business." He snapped.
"So, you can know about my sex life, but I can't know about yours?" she asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," he told her. Claire paused before looking back down at the center floor.
"I so missed having you around," she said sarcastically. Ryan nudged her and smiled a little.
"Love you too." Alex just shook his head at the two of them and threw a handful of popcorn at a first year cadet in the front row.
"Bulls eye!" he whispered, hitting his mark. Claire rolled her eyes and held her breath as they brought Griffin in with a wheelchair.
"When did he get hurt?" Ryan asked. Alex just glanced at Claire, who's eyes never left Griffin.
"Last night. Apparently his inmates decided to turn on him," Claire said bluntly, her eyes still glued to Griffin. Ryan glared as Griffin looked up to their seats with a pleading look.
"He deserves what he gets," Ryan mumbled, folding his arms and sinking farther into his seat, as if trying to get Griffin out of his view. Claire sighed and ran a shaky hand threw her hair. Griffin continued to stare up at the Conaway siblings, his icy blue eyes begging for forgiveness.
"Dude, he looks so sad now that he's busted. That's pathetic. He probably only did it because he thought he wasn't going to get in trouble. That's pretty lame," Alex said through a mouthful of popcorn. Ryan nodded as they pushed him up next to the rest of the prisoners who were on trial.
"He makes me sick," Ryan spat, his stony grey eyes still glaring a hole through Griffin. Just being in the same room as that monster upset Ryan to no end.
"Just let it go, Ryan. He's going to get what he deserves today," Claire said, trying to calm down her brother. He was fuming in his seat while Alex sat back and enjoyed the show.
"How can you say that? After what he did to me?" Ryan spat, rounding on his sister. Claire just mimicked her brother and turned to him.
"Ryan, you're a broken record. You've been hurt, but you need to let it go. The longer you let it bug you, the more it's going to bring you down," Claire explained, trying to get through to her stubborn brother. She knew that she was just like him when it came to that, but someone had to try to calm him down.
"She's right, Ry." Colleen said as she took a seat next to Ryan. Claire shot her a glare.
"I had this covered, thanks," Claire snapped. Colleen looked a little taken back and Ryan just glared at his sister.
"Don't talk to her like that, she hasn't done anything wrong!" he snapped. Claire continued to glare at him.
"Neither have I, why are you snapping at me?" she hissed.
"Because you're being rude. Colleen was just trying to be nice," Ryan told her. Claire crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's none of her business. Stop protecting her just because you're getting some." Ryan clenched his fist as his grey eyes met her own.
"I'm not protecting her. She was on the Berlin too. She has every right to talk about it." Claire's glare began to falter as her eyes began to water just slightly.
"And I don't? I don't matter because I wasn't there? I understand-"
"No, Claire. You don't. You have no idea what we went through on that ship. You were not responsible for the deaths of hundreds. Don't even try to think you can understand." Claire froze and turned back to the front of the hall, her eyes focusing on the back of Captain Kirk's head. Colleen gave a look at Ryan and frowned.
"Ryan, you don't have to be so harsh, she's just trying to be sympathetic." Ryan said nothing as he looked down. After a minute Claire stood up and moved a couple seats down from them and leaned back. Alex looked at her, then back to Ryan and Colleen before moving down the row to sit with Claire, who was trying to hold back her tears.
"You okay?" Alex asked hesitantly as he took a seat next to her. She nodded without saying a word, the unwanted tears starting to slip from her eyes. Alex put an arm around her and pulled her close. Claire cuddled close as she could no longer contain herself. She hated fighting with Ryan so much, but he had changed so much after getting off the Berlin.
"Way to be a dick," Colleen said, crossing her legs and starring down at the hearing that was just about to start.
"You don't understand," Ryan told her, running a hand through his hair.
"I have two younger sisters and a younger brother. Don't talk to me about what I do and do not understand," Colleen snapped, elbowing Ryan in the side.
"She has no right to stick up for him!" Ryan snapped back grabbing Colleen's arm.
"She was just trying to get you to calm down and shut up. You keep pushing her away because she 'doesn't understand', so help her to understand. Don't just keep repeating the same old crap over and over again. Really explain it to her. And if you have, then maybe she's right, maybe you just need to get over it and move on with your life." Colleen gently removed Ryan's hand and got up to leave.
"Why are you leaving?" Ryan asked, but Colleen didn't turn around.
"I don't date assholes," she muttered as she sought out Rupert and Liam.
"The hearing of the rouge crew members U.S.S. Berlin will now begin!" Claire pulled away from Alex and gave him a smile.
"The academy board calls Captain Richard Shay to the stand." Captain Shay stood and walked forward, his greasy hair wilder than normal, and his eyes were darting all over the place.
"Captain Shay, you are charged with murder, conspiracy to murder, and treason. How do you plead?" Admiral Archer asked.
"Not guilty, I have done nothing wrong here!" Shay snapped. Admiral looked at the rest of the crew.
"Do the rest of you plead the same?" he asked. All of them nodded their heads, which caused a few cadets to whisper.
"They seriously don't think they are wrong? What's wrong with them?" Alex asked. Claire shrugged.
"You spend enough time getting told things go a certain way, you start to believe it." Alex simply looked at her while she wiped away a few tears and held her hand.
"You and your brother will make up, you always do." She nodded and continued to watch the hearing.
"Captain Shay, you gave your crew the order to fire upon an Aenar ship, and then ordered them to go after a Klingon colony. Is this correct?" Shay nodded.
"Yes sir. The Aenar ship was just a cover. They were going to take over a Starfleet colony and begin to destroy us. I had no choice." A few admirals raised an eyebrow.
"And the Klingon planet?" he asked.
"Those God damn Klingons need to be killed, that are no good for the federation," Shay hissed.
"That is not for you to decide, you were given no order to attack them. You then attacked a Starfleet ship, your own comrades, why?" Shay began to twitch a little.
"They were an interference. They were the traitors, not us. We were doing what was best of the federation. I needed to stop them." Admiral Archer simply glared down at the man.
"The way I see it, if Captain Kirk hadn't have stopped you, things would be worse off. We thank you Captain Kirk." The entire room went dead quiet. Kirk smiled and thanked the admiral as many eyes turned to Ryan. Ryan sat alone, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"I did what had to be done, Admiral Archer," Kirk said, enjoying the hero role that was placed upon him. Claire, Alex, Colleen, Rupert, and many other people who had been placed on the Berlin turned to look at Ryan, who continued to sit in shock.
"Excuse me, sir, but I believe you are mistaken," Alex yelled, standing up from his seat to everyone's surprise.
"What did you say, Lieutenant?" The Admiral asked angrily. Alex swallowed and pointed at Ryan.
"Ensign Ryan Conaway started the Berlin revolt and took down one of its major instigators. If it wasn't for him, the Berlin would have fired upon the Enterprise and could have killed more members of Starfleet," Alex yelled, still pointing at Ryan who couldn't move. He had no idea how to react to everything that was going on. Claire tried to pull Alex back down, but he wouldn't budge.
"That is preposterous. Sit down, Lieutenant. I will not have you making up stories for this hearing. Captain Kirk was the one who took down Captain Shay, not Ensign Conaway," The Admiral continued, clearly very perturbed by Alex's interruption, but Alex would not sit back down.
"I was there, Admiral Archer. Ryan was about to take down Captain Shay when our away team entered the bridge. All Kirk did was fire one shot at Captain Shay while Ryan had done all the work and you're commending him! Ensign Ryan Conaway should be up there, not Captain Kirk," Alex yelled as members of security pushed into the row in which Claire and Alex were sitting. They shoved past Claire and grabbed a hold of Alex, dragging him out of the row. Claire stood up, about to say something to the guard, but the Admiral interrupted her.
"Is there anything you want to add to that, Lieutenant Conaway?" he asked. Claire paused and looked down as her eyes met Kirk's, who was watching her carefully. She looked back up at the Admiral.
"No sir. Not anything that hasn't already been said," she told him, walking out of the hall. The rest of the hall turned back to Ryan, who simply sat in his seat and watched the front of the room.
"Captain Shay, you are being stripped of your rank and are given a dishonorable discharge. You shall be sentenced, along with the rest of your crew, to prison for life. Any final words?" Shay smiled.
"Bars shall not hold me, I shall return and prove you all wrong," he told them. The hall fell silent before the crew was taken away.
"Can you believe them? How can they just give Kirk all the credit?" Rupert asked.
"So not fair, Ryan did all the hard work. Of course Kirk get's to smile pretty for the cameras," Colleen snapped.
"Well, he does have the face for it," Liam muttered. The group stopped their eating and looked at him.
"Really, Liam?" Ryan asked. Liam rolled his eyes.
"Please, even a straight guy can admit that man is a nice piece of ass," Liam defended.
"Whatever," Rupert said as he rolled his eyes. Liam shook his head and looked up, seeing Claire walk into the cafeteria.
"Claire! Over here!" he called. Ryan glanced up as his sister awkwardly made her way over to the table and sat down next to Rupert.
"Hi," she muttered.
"Hey, how is Alex?" Colleen asked. Claire shrugged.
"Fine, they won't let him out for a few more hours, but he should be alright. He's really pissed though," Claire told them.
"I bet. Poor mate was just trying to tell the truth. Of course the bloody admiral took Kirk's side. He's the fucking poster boy of Starfleet." Rupert snapped. Liam nodded.
"Well, I hope he's alright. He's such a handsome boy, it would be a shame if he had to stay in the brig for too long." Everyone turned to look at Liam.
"Seriously, can you just turn it off for a few minutes?" Ryan asked angrily as Liam shrugged.
"I've got two brains and Kirk only makes me think with one. Get over it, Ryan." Silence fell over the table as Ryan ran a hand through his hair. That's all he'd been hearing over and over again.
"Claire, can I talk to you?" Ryan asked, standing up from the table. Claire nodded and followed her brother outside. Once they found a bench, they took a seat. Claire gazed at her brother as he put two fingers to his temples.
"What's up, Ryan?" Claire asked, a little more coldly than she would have liked. She couldn't help it though; she was still hurting from their conversation earlier, though it was clear to her that Ryan was hurting too.
"I'm going to give it a shot. I'm going to try to get over it, but I'm not the same Ryan that I was a month ago. Things happened and… I can't just go home and play with my car to feel better. This really struck a chord deep inside, Claire." Claire nodded and put a hand on her brother's shoulder. It was dark where they were sitting and she couldn't see the tears that he was letting slip, nor the black bags under his eyes.
"I know, Ry, but-" Ryan grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him, surprising her.
"Don't say it. I know what I have to do, Claire-bear. I'm going back to the Academy to figure out my life. This thing with Griffin and the Berlin revolt changed me and now I need to try to figure out myself again. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I don't anymore. And I don't want to keep hurting you over and over again while I'm trying to find out." Claire frowned and hugged him, finally feeling the tears falling on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and hugged him tighter. Things were going to be different, he was going to be different. She could only hope it was for the best.
"So… you're staying? How can you just stay at Starfleet?" Colleen asked. Ryan sighed and looked down at her.
"I need some time to think, and switching my field will give me time to sort everything out. I'll be back on a ship in no time," Ryan told her.
"You love engineering, you told me so," she argued. She didn't like him simply giving up and falling back into Starfleet, but in a small way, she understood.
"I know… I just. I can't even look at a machine without thinking of him." Colleen frowned but nodded.
"So, what field are you switching to?" she asked.
"I was thinking security, so I can protect people. I heard you and a few others were placed onto the Enterprise." Colleen paused then smiled.
"Yeah, pretty much the whole gang, Liam, Rupert, and I. I even heard a rumor that Oliver is up there somewhere. I haven't seen him at all," she said.
"Neither have I. That's cool though, at least you know people there," he told her. She nodded and took her hand in his.
"Promise you won't change too much. I kind of liked who you were, if you took away how much of a jerk you could be." Ryan smiled and placed a hand on her cheek.
"Well, since you asked so nicely…" he whispered, leaning down and kissing her softly.
To Be Continued...
Jeck: Wasn't that lovely?
Raxsah: No suspense, no cliffhanger. Lot's of drama. We are quite good at the drama part.
Jeck: We've got so much of it in our lives, we need to pass it off somehow… somehow, my brain sounds that sounds dirty…
Raxsah: You are a very dirty person. It doesn't surprise me. Hahahahahahaha!
Jeck: You can't call me a dirty person, because you didn't read the whole thing! (lol It doesn't sound as funny when I say it…)
Raxsah: Only B-Fay can say it and make us choke on our food. But anyway, We have Reviews to answer.
WhatsGoingOn:
Raxsah: We are working on the more Kirk and Claire stuff. We didn't want them to just start randomly having them make-out. That'd be too forward.
Jeck: We're actually just starting to work on the lemon for them. Which is like 200 pages from now. Lol
Parallel Days
Jeck: Raxsah did you hear that? We got ourselves a fan girl! :D There we be more Kirk and Claire in the future, not to worry. And yeah, Alice in Wonderland was the shit. Can't deny that.
Raxsah: I always wanted a Fan girl. Anyway, Kirk and Claire will come about soon enough. Believe me, I couldn't wait to start writing it, so I can't imagine what it must be like to read it. I loved Alice in Wonderland, we should see it again, but in 2D.
Loudmist
Raxsah: We love new readers. Welcome aboard. Kirk's lines are pretty funny. Most of them are Jeck's though, so thank her. The whole Alex and Claire thing is interesting. We're not going to divulge who ends up with who though. That would ruin our fun.
Jeck: We seriously sit around and brainstorm ideas. A lot of our funnier ideas come from random conversations. So keep enjoying it! :D If you like it so far, you'll love it later.
Jeck: Not much else to say except review! Tell us what you like, what you hate, and what else you'd like to see!
Raxsah: Yup, we'll take it into consideration and write you back. We don't have much else to do… except homework.
Jeck: Oh, we do that now?
Raxsah: Well… we should be doing homework. Not that we actually are.
Jeck: Or care enough. Our priority is writing this story. Updating? Not so much.
Raxsah: We get forgetful after a bit. We have very busy social lives, and when we do remember and it's been two weeks.
Jeck: And the funny part is we end up writing together almost every night. Seriously, we're almost done the story (well, kinda).
Raxsah: Not really… We still have a hundred pages to go.
Jeck: Compared to the 250 we've already written…
Raxsah: Yeah, so review and all that good stuff. Hope you enjoyed it.
Jeck: This is Jeck and Raxsah signing off. (I love saying that)
Raxsah: Later pudding pops!