Jeck: Hey, hey, hey, hey… WE'RE BACK!
Raxsah: And better than ever! For the most part.
Jeck: Yeah, there have been a few ups and downs, but we're good for the most part. Except for the p on Raxsah's laptop…
Raxsah: Le sigh, my poor key. That's what you get when you have no good cousins use your laptop… and car. Oh, my poor car.
Jeck: It's okay. You'll get a nice new one. Now, moving onto the story and all it's goodness.
Raxsah: Yes, the good story which is not in pieces. Now we are getting to the good part of the story, almost the middle… right?
Jeck: Not really. Considering we're almost to page 500. :3 We'll be done soon.
Raxsah: Yes, then we shall work on our next project. But until then, we will continue to update this little bugger. We might have to do it weekly if we want to get it done before college starts.
Jeck: Yeah, but we're pretty awesome so it shouldn't be a problem. We should probably get to the story now, so enjoy.
Chapter 10;
What About Now?The shuttle ride seemed to take years in Claire's mind, but the minute they docked, she couldn't have been happier. She grabbed her bag and waited for Alex and Liam to grab their own carry off bags.
"So, I was thinking tomorrow night, we should all go out for dinner," Liam said.
"Like… bar dinner?" Alex asked.
"No, like… an actual dinner," Liam said.
"Sounds good to me, I plan on hitting a bar with Trisha and a few of my academy friends tonight," Claire said. Alex smiled.
"Mind if I join?" he asked. She shook her head as the three of them began to walk off the shuttle and into the shuttle bay.
"Nope, are you in Liam?" she asked. Liam frowned and stopped with Claire and she picked up Rocky.
"I can't I'm working tonight. Of course I get the first shift, lame," Liam muttered. He leaned over and scratched Rocky's ear before sighing.
"That sucks, well… I'll have dinner with you tomorrow," Claire said.
"Yeah… I guess I will too," Alex said, also leaning over to pet the young dog. Once the boys left, Claire began navigating her way through the docking bay.
"So this is the infamous Rocky, huh? Like dog, like owner," a familiar voice said from behind Claire. She whirled around as Rocky pulled on his leash, struggling to run up to the blonde haired man.
"RYAN!" Claire squealed, causing a few other Starfleet officers to look at her. She dashed as her brother as Rocky lead the way.
"Claire-bear!" Ryan said, chuckling as Claire threw herself into his arms. It had been a long six months since they'd seen each other and this was exactly what they needed. Of course they tried to talk as much as they could, but it was hard between boot camp for Ryan and the insane medical shifts that McCoy assigned to Claire. Claire felt safe and happy in his arms, almost like coming home. His grip was tight, but strong and it made Claire forget all about her love problems.
"I've missed you so much!" Claire said excitedly, pulling away and taking in her brother's new look. His dirty blonde hair looked a bit dark and his skin was a few shade darker. His hair had grown back some, but it appeared as if he was still keep it short. The front looked like he had run some gel through it, but the biggest difference were his eyes. Claire immediately noticed how much more alive Ryan looked, his eyes reflecting his newfound outlook.
"I've missed you too. I've got some good news for you though," Ryan told her, leaning down to pick up Rocky who was whining for attention. Rocky snuggled closer to Ryan and licked his chin happily as he scratched the dog behind the ear.
"What is it?" Claire asked anxiously, watching her brother and her dog bond. It really was cute.
"RYAN CONAWAY! THERE YOU ARE!" Ryan froze as the familiar sound of his girlfriend rang through the air.
"Colleen," he said, putting down the dog and turning toward the blonde. She ran up to him and engulfed him in a hug. They stayed close for a moment before Ryan pulled away and placed a soft but sensual kiss on her lips. She pulled away and smiled widely.
"Miss me?" she asked.
"Like crazy," he answered. She giggled and kissed him once more.
"Uh, hello? I was totally having a moment here!" Claire snapped. Colleen pulled away and shot her a look.
"I'll give him back to you in five minutes," she replied, turning back to his lips. Claire sighed and looked at Rocky, who just tilted his head at the couple.
"No respect, I swear Rocky," she muttered. Ryan sighed and pulled away from his girlfriend before turning back to his sister.
"You know I love you, Claire… it's just… been a while," he said. She rolled her eyes and the three of them began walking out of the shuttle bay.
"So, what is this big news you have to tell me?" Claire asked, picking up her dog and cuddling him close.
"Oh, right. They've assigned me to a ship," he told the girls. Colleen smiled widely.
"Really? That's great, Ryan!" she said, pulling him into a hug.
"What ship?" Claire asked. Ryan's smile grew wider.
"The Enterprise," he said. Claire paused before a grin broke out on her own face.
"You serious?" she asked. He nodded. Claire squealed and pulled him into a hug, ignoring Rocky's sudden squirming. When they pulled away, Colleen placed another kiss on his lips.
"That's excellent," she said. He nodded.
"Yeah, apparently you guys suddenly just lost half of your security staff… want to explain?" he asked. Colleen looked at Claire, who suddenly seemed very busy with making sure Rocky was showered with hugs and kisses.
"It's… a long story," Colleen explained. He raised an eyebrow at the two of them.
"You'll have to tell me sometime. Anyway, because of my marks, and experience on the Berlin, they made me Chief of Security," he told them.
"Look at you, climbing the ranks, that would make you… a lieutenant commander now… right?" he nodded. Claire scrunched her nose.
"Damn, you have a higher rank than me," she muttered. Ryan laughed.
"Yeah, by two ranks now," He said. She shook her head.
"Only one, I'm a regular lieutenant now," Claire told him. Ryan turned to Colleen.
"How did that happen?" he asked.
"I have major surgical skills, you don't even know," Claire told him, causing the three of them to laugh.
"Well I'm glad you finally got your shit together," Ryan said after they settled down. Colleen smiled an intertwined her fingers with his.
"You're one to talk Mr. Ex-Engineer," Claire snapped back playfully, giving her brother a slight shove in the shoulder. He gently shoved her back before wrapping his free arm around her neck in a brotherly fashion.
"Hey, I'm finally happy with what I'm doing now. I still love tinkering with things, but protecting people is my new calling," he explained, placing a kiss on top of his sister's head. Colleen just watched as Claire scrunched her face and pulled away.
"Well saving people is mine," she shot back as Rocky barked, backing up his owner. Everyone looked down at the puppy and fawned over how cute he was.
"Well, I'm heading back to my place to get ready to hit the bars tonight. What do you two have planned?" Claire asked as they exited the Starfleet building. Colleen and Ryan both blushed at her question, causing Claire to roll her eyes. "On second thought, please don't answer that."
"Probably best if we don't," he said.
"Ew, okay, I'm ending this conversation before it turns back to the phone sex conversation," Claire said. Ryan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Colleen turned pale.
"What…?" Ryan asked. Claire shrugged.
"I'll see you guys later, I'm off to see Trisha," Claire said, running off, Rocky in tow.
"What was she talking about?" Ryan asked. Colleen just shook her head.
"You don't want to know. It's been an interesting six months to say the least," she told him. He smiled and pulled her to him.
"I really did miss you," he whispered, leaning down and capturing her lips with his. She smiled and pulled away.
"We still having dinner tonight?" she asked. He nodded.
"Of course, why?" he asked. She shrugged.
"We've been dating for six months, I think tonight is the night we take things up a notch." He smiled, but the slightest tint of a blush graced his cheeks.
"Oh really? I can't wait," he said. She giggled and they walked to the officer's apartments together.
"Three days was not enough for shore leave, I hate this ship," Liam muttered. Claire rolled her eyes as she placed her new uniforms in her closet.
"You love this ship, you can't even lie…" Claire said. Rocky glanced up from his chew toy to watch Claire take a few pairs of jeans out of her duffel bag.
"Yeah… there are too many hot guys on this ship not to like it," he replied. Claire smiled and sat down on her bed next to him.
"I guess we have alternate opinions…" Liam rolled his eyes.
"You only say that because you don't know what to do about Kirk," Liam told her. She smacked his arm playfully, and was about to reply, when there was a knock on the door and she walked up to the door.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"You're brother… open up." She opened the door and smiled widely at him.
"Hey, Ry… find your room just fine?" she asked. He nodded and walked in, giving a small nod to Liam.
"Yeah… pretty much. I forgot how big the place was," he said. He kneeled down and began scratching Rocky behind the ear, smiling when the pup stuck his tongue out in reply. Claire didn't fail to notice the wrapped box in his hand, and eyed it warily.
"You get used to it," she said. He smiled and showed her the box, causing Liam to raise an eyebrow and Claire to look at him skeptically. He walked up to her and handed her the box, causing her to roll her eyes. "Ryan…"
"Come on… It's a once a year type thing… just take the damn gift," he told her. She sighed and took it from him.
"Thanks…" she muttered.
"You going to open it?" he asked. She paused before sitting down at her desk and ripped the wrapping paper off, revealing a small book in her hand.
"Oh wow… you didn't…" he smiled.
"I saw it on sale and knew you loved it," he replied. Liam raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's Crime and Punishment, It's one of my favorite books," she told him.
"I didn't know you read books." Claire rolled her eyes.
"I haven't since coming onto the Enterprise… I left most of my books at home," she confessed. She put the book down and pulled her brother into a hug. "Thanks," she whispered.
"Happy Birthday…" he replied. At this, Liam's eyebrows shot to his hairline.
"Birthday? It's your birthday and you didn't tell me?" Claire pulled away from Ryan and rolled her eyes.
"It's not a big deal… I mean, it is for the major years, one, thirteen, sixteen, eighteen, twenty-one… but twenty-three is not a big deal," she said, looking at the book some more. Liam sighed and crossed his arms.
"Woman… you are going to drive me insane," Liam said. Claire laughed and hugged her brother.
"I'm so glad you're here, it's not the same without you around," Claire told him.
"Yeah… I miss being close to everyone. I made a few friends in the security department, but it's nothing like being here," Ryan said. Claire nodded and checked the time.
"I should get going, I have to report for duty in a hour," Claire said.
"Yeah… I need to be back on the security deck in fifteen minutes. I just wanted to drop that off," he said. She nodded and looked at Liam, who had grabbed one of Rocky's chew toys and had begun playing with the dog.
"I'll see you at dinner then," she told him. Ryan nodded and kissed the side of her head before giving a quick wave toward Liam.
"I'll see you then, bye Liam." Liam smiled and waved before standing up as well.
"Claire, I feel bad I didn't get you a birthday present," he said, walking up to her and wrapping a arm around her shoulders.
"Liam, it's no big deal. Ryan's probably the only one who got me anything," she told him, glancing at her book once more. Liam snorted.
"Yeah cause you didn't tell anyone about it. If you had, you'd have a room full of gifts!" He exclaimed, causing Claire to roll her eyes.
"I still don't see what the big deal is. Listen, I'm going to get ready for my shift. Go molest Alex or something," she instructed him as she pulled out one of her medical uniforms and crossed the room to her bedroom. Despite being back on earth, nothing felt quite like home than her room did. Having her brother on the ship made it even more homey.
"Fine, but I need another shirt. THANKS CLAIRE!" Liam said, darting to the closest, grabbing a shirt, and rushing to the door before Claire could stop him.
"LIAM! STOP STEALING MY CLOTHES!" Claire screamed, dropping her clothes and trying to beat Liam to the door. She was unsuccessful as Liam rushed through the door and escaped into the hallway. Rocky barked angrily as Claire stopped at the door and scream obscene things down the hallway.
"I LOVE YOU!" Liam called over his shoulder as he rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Claire sighed and turned to Rocky.
"I will kill him," she grumbled as the door closed behind her and she entered her bathroom for a nice long and hot shower. She needed something to relax her before putting up with sickbay for the day.
"… talked to him and it's taken care of." Claire caught the last bit of Liam's hushed words to Alex as she entered sickbay. The two men were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't even see her walk in. Liam was leaning over Alex's shoulder, who was seated by the computer.
"Sounds good, that means everything is set," Alex replied, though Liam continued leaning over the other man. Claire noticed the way that Alex appeared to almost be leaning back into the flamboyant doctor, a small smirk on his face.
"Set for what?" Claire asked, causing the two men to jump. Alex gave a small jump while Liam squealed, jumped over the chair, and right into Alex's arms. Alex blushed before dropping Liam to the ground.
"Get off of me!" He cried, rising to his feet and walking away. Liam gave him a sly smile as Claire crossed the room to were her gay boyfriend sat.
"Care to explain?" She asked, offering her hand. Liam grabbed it and pulling himself to his feet.
"Nope," he said and smiled.
"I hate it when you do that," Claire mumbled as she turned around and headed to the main station. She started washing her hands at the sink as Liam followed her.
"It's a surprise," he told her, leaning against a wall to watch her work. Claire knitted her eyebrows in frustration.
"I hate surprises too," she stated, reaching across Liam to get some paper towels.
"It wasn't my idea," Liam said, holding his hands up in his defense. Claire rolled her eyes and gave him a small smile.
"It's always your idea." Liam said nothing as Claire walked away again, this time to go check to see if there were any patients. She could practically feel the gay doctor following behind her.
"Alright that's true, but that's not the point. What time is your shift over tonight?" He asked, walking a little faster so that he was walking right next to her. Claire scanned the room to find that the only patient there was under Alex's care.
"I get off around seven, why?" She asked, without really paying attention. Liam clapped his hands together happily.
"Meet me in dining hall C for dinner?" He asked excitedly. Claire stopped thinking about her job and turned to Liam. He was obviously up to something and now she was positive that it involved her.
"Why? We always go to dining hall B. They serve Alex's favorite pudding," she said, trying to provide a reason not to go. Perhaps she could weasel the true reason out of him. Considering his advanced skills of deceit, that could be harder than she thought.
"Alex can go one night without his pudding," Liam replied, brushing off the man's strange pudding cravings.
"I heard that and no… I can't," Alex chimed in from his spot across the room. He was in process of stitching up the patient's hand, who appeared to be from engineering.
"You can have my pudding tomorrow night then," Liam snapped back quickly, annoyed at Alex's comment. He was just being difficult.
"I can live with that," Alex replied, cutting the final stitch and allowing the patient to leave. Alex stood up and crossed the room to where Claire and Liam were standing. Just as Alex approached them, Liam's face lit up and his sly grin returned.
"I'll take you back to my place and you can lick all the pudding off my-"
"You three, get to work!" They jumped as McCoy's loud and booming voice interrupted Liam's comment, much to Claire and Alex's pleasure.
Ryan glanced around the security department and glanced at his date pad. He had already met a good amount of the previous security members, and had introduced himself to a few new members, but there was one or two he hadn't met yet. He walked up to a couple new ensigns, who were brushing up on a few security details, and offered a small smile. Even as a lieutenant he was nervous. He always had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he might screw up at anytime, so he could only imagine what was going through the new recruits.
"Hey, I'm lieutenant Conaway, are you guys the new recruits?" he asked. They nodded.
"Yeah, we graduated early, so… we've never been on a starship," one guy said.
"It's a little intimidating, but you'll get used to it. Just don't screw up… guys down here tend to pick fights," Ryan said. The guys exchanged looks, causing Ryan to chuckle. He had a feeling he's be breaking up a lot of fights in this job. "I didn't get your names," he said.
"I'm Lewis Rogers… sir," one said. Ryan nodded and looked to the next guy.
"Benjamin Conner," he replied.
"Nice to meet you both," Ryan said. He glanced to the next guy, and something in his gut seemed to stir. The man stood about an inch or two shorter than him, and his dark brown hair seemed to not want to stay in place. His build was the average build of every security officer, but he seemed to slouch too much for anyone to notice. His green eyes seemed like they had the potential to pop, but they were dull in comparison to most of the other eyes in the crew.
"David, sir…" he said. His voice seemed to be a bit rough, as if he had a cold, but there was no indication as such.
"You have a last name, Ensign?" Ryan asked, his guard immediately up.
"David Sheppard…" he answered. Ryan nodded and shook his hand.
"Welcome aboard, if you need anything let me know," Ryan said. They nodded and he turned around and walked to his office. When he got there, he received a message and read it immediately. Upon being done he smiled widely and laughed before running a hand through his short blonde hair.
"She is going to kill them," he muttered before going back to work.
"Alex, I don't know why it's so important to eat in dining hall C. What are you up to?" she asked. Alex shrugged as they continued to wait for the lift to stop.
"Why would you think I'm up to something?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
"Because you made me go back to my room and get changed out of my uniform. And you're not dressed in yours either. Something is up," she said. Alex shrugged and stuffed his hands in his jean pockets.
"Don't worry about it, it's not anything bad," he told her. She sighed and dug her own hands in her dark grey hoodie. She would've stuffed them in her jeans, but they were too tight for her to fit her hands in.
"Maybe I shouldn't have let you pick out my jeans, I'm sure my ass looks way too big," she muttered.
"Not that I'm complaining. You should've worn that one shirt that showed your back," Alex said. The doors opened and she zipped up her hoodie a bit more.
"Yeah, I'm glad I picked the tank top. The last thing I need is for you to drool all the way to the dining hall," she said. Alex shrugged.
"I wouldn't have been complaining." Claire rolled her eyes as they continued on their way to Dining Hall C. Claire glanced around the hallways and noticed a lot less people were roaming the halls than normal around dinner time.
"Alex?" Claire asked, but he said nothing. "Alex?"
"Stop talking, we're almost there," he mumbled. Claire stopped.
"Did you just tell me to shut up?" She snapped. He stopped as well.
"Not directly, but yes. No fights tonight, just come on." he instructed her and continued on his way to the dining hall. Claire growled as she tried to catch up with him. Finally, they reached the large blue double doors to dining hall C. Alex pulled back one of the doors and motioned for her to enter. "Ladies first."
"Then why don't you go in first?" Claire asked with a nasty smile, trying to get back at him for earlier. Alex gave her a soft glare, put his hand on the small of her back, and thrust her into the room. The room was completely covered in darkness and Claire couldn't even see her hand in front of her face.
"Stubborn girls…" he muttered. Claire was about to say something when the lights were switched on.
"SURPRISE!" Claire blinked as the bright lights hurt her eyes, but opened them again to find all of her friends starring at her from around the room. Ryan stood next to Colleen, his arm around her waist and a knowing grin on his face. Rupert was holding Oliver by the collar as he tried to run for the cake.
"I WANT CAKE!" He cried, but Rupert had no problem holding the small Irish man back. Liam was next to Spock and Uhura, forcing a party hat onto the clearly displeased man. Uhura's hand was over her mouth, stifling back a laugh. Kirk and McCoy stood close to Ryan, though McCoy looked as if he was scanning the room for an exit. Clearly, he didn't want to be there. But Kirk had a mysterious twinkle in his bright blue eyes. For a moment, Claire was captivated by his presence, but only for a moment. Rocky came running up to her and jumped on his master, happy for her arrival.
"Happy Birthday!" Liam said, walking up and pulling her into a hug. She pulled away and looked around, her face growing red. Whether it was from embarrassment or annoyance. She glared at Liam and her lips pressed together.
"You!" she hissed. Before she could say anything else, Ryan walked up to her.
"Come on Claire, just go with it," he told her. She paused before forcing a small smile on her face.
"Thanks guys, it's… nice," she said. All of a sudden there was the sound of crashing and everyone looked over to see Oliver diving face first into the cake. Ryan looked over to Rupert, who was holding into his hand and muttering curses under his breath.
"Bloody bugger bit me hand," he replied. Liam looked like he was about to cry until Claire broke out into a fit of laughter, causing everyone else to give her a funny look.
"I'm sorry, I just… oh my god. I've never seen a grown man dive head first into a birthday cake!" she had to lean on her brother she was laughing so hard. The rest of the group began to chuckle, with the exception of Spock.
"Alright, let's get this party started! Drinks, music, food, let's go!" Liam said. Claire let Liam drag her over to the bar where he poured her a drink.
"Thanks, Liam… even though I really hate my birthday," she said. He shrugged and took a shot.
"Oh man, that' strong. No worries, Claire-bear… anything for you," she rolled her eyes and took a sip of her own drink. She glanced over and saw some of the senior officers talking near the food table.
"Why did you invite Spock and all them, I never even talk to them?" she asked.
"I didn't… I asked Kirk if I could throw a party and he brought them along. Go figure." Claire rolled her eyes and they joined the small group where her brother and the rest of her group was standing.
"Dude, you so need a girlfriend," Alex muttered to Rupert. Rupert rolled his eyes.
"I don't need anything, except maybe another drink," Rupert muttered. Ryan laughed and let Colleen lean against him.
"You can't even talk, you haven't had a girlfriend since Claire dumped your ass," Colleen said. Ryan glanced at Claire, who simply rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink.
"It was a mutual break-up," Alex muttered. Claire chuckled and looked over to the senior officers, only to find Kirk's intense gaze staring straight at her. She quickly looked away and smiled at her group of friends.
"I'll be right back," she said.
"Don't go too far," Ryan told her. She shot a look his way and walked toward the small group of senior officers, and had to hold back a laugh at Spock's party hat.
"Sorry you all had to be dragged into this," Claire said when she walked up to them.
"I hope you know you are getting two weeks of graveyard shifts for this," McCoy snapped. Claire sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, I figured sir," she replied.
"Come on, Bones. It's her birthday!" Kirk said. Claire glanced at him before looking back at McCoy, who was now glaring at the younger captain.
"Don't tell me how to run my sickbay! You don't see me telling you how to run your ship!" Jim rolled his eyes.
"So, how old are you?" Uhura asked, trying to deflect the two men from arguing.
"Twenty-three… not really an age to celebrate," she said.
"Twenty-three? Did you join Starfleet right after high school?" Uhura asked. Claire nodded and ran a hand through her hair nervously.
"Uh, yeah…" she muttered.
"Wow…" Uhura mumbled. The five of them stood in silence before Spock spoke.
"I believe it is an earth tradition to wish one happy birthday, even if you are not quite familiar with the person," Spock said. Claire paused as she looked at the commander, trying to decipher what he had just said.
"That's Spock's way of saying happy birthday," Uhura said.
"Oh, um… thanks. Did you guys need anything?" Claire asked.
"A drink," McCoy muttered, brushing past her and going to the bar. Claire watched him go before turning back and glancing at Jim, whose eyes hadn't left hers. Uhura must have noticed the tension because she quickly turned to Spock and suggested they join the other party guests, leaving Claire and Jim alone.
He hadn't even said a word to her and already she could feel her stomach doing back flips. She nervously ran a hand through her hair, thankful that she had decided to let it down and straighten it. His blue eyes still traced over her, as she crossed her arms and looked down.
"Happy birthday," Jim said finally. Claire looked up, her stormy grey eyes meeting his bright blue. She let a small smile grace her lips.
"Thanks, you didn't have to come though. I seriously doubt you go to every ship member's birthday party," she said. He smirked.
"No, not usually, I thought I'd make an exception though," he said. She turned and little red and resisted the urge to nervously run a hand through her hair.
"Thanks." They stood in silence before Jim took a step toward her, causing her to freeze and look up at him.
"I'm sorry I couldn't wrap my present," he told her. She raised an eyebrow.
"You got me a present?" she asked. He smiled and nodded.
"I did."
"Are you going to tell me what it is?" she asked. He looked thoughtful for a moment before his smile got wider.
"Now if I did that, it wouldn't be a surprise," he said. She scrunched her nose and tired to not let out a heavy sigh.
"I hate surprises." Jim laughed and resisted the urge to lean down and kiss her scrunched nose. Though, he wasn't even sure where that urge came from in the first place.
"Meet me after the party in dining hall A… and don't eat too much," he told her. She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head to the side.
"And if I don't?" she asked. He paused before shrugging.
"It's your choice," he replied. He stared at her for a moment longer before turning around and walking out of the dining hall. Claire watched the door for a moment longer before Liam walked up to her.
"Come on! You have to open your presents!" he said, dragging her to the small pile of presents. She glanced at Ryan, who was watching her carefully. He had seen the exchange between her and the Captain, and he briefly wondered if more had transpired between them in the six months of him being gone than he realized. He didn't like the look that Kirk was constantly giving her, and he even liked less how she simply would play right into his hands.
"Ryan, you alright?" Colleen asked. Ryan looked down and smiled widely at the blonde in his arms.
"Just fine. I'm at a party with a hot chick in my arms, what could be better?" he asked. She shrugged.
"I don't know, maybe this hot blonde meeting you after the party in your room?" she asked. He smirked and gave her a quick kiss.
"That does sound perfect," he told her. He glanced back at Claire, who was glaring daggers at Alex for getting her a large box of condoms and a book on how to have great sex.
"You. Are. Such. A. Pig!" she shouted, throwing the box at him. The group laughed and Ryan rested his head on Colleen's. He really didn't think his life could get much better than this.
"Excuse me, Lieutenant Commander Conaway…." Ryan glanced over to see ensign Sheppard looking at him.
"Yeah… what is it?" he asked.
"I was informed to let you know the security should be on high alert for the next few months," he said. Ryan raised an eyebrow and broke away from Colleen.
"Why is that?" Ryan asked.
"We just got news of a break out, and Starfleet suspects that the Enterprise might be a target on their list, after all… the prisoners did declare vengeance on Starfleet." Ryan ran a hand through his hair and grabbed the data pad from the ensign. He froze and almost dropped the data pad.
"What is it? Who escaped?" Colleen asked.
"The Berlin crew…"
Claire always prided herself for not backing down out of a promise. Yet, as she stood in front of the doors of dining hall A, she was wishing she could turn around and run as far away from the place as possible. She almost didn't come in the first place. When her brother ran out of the room suddenly, she wanted to go after him, but Colleen insisted that he needed to be left alone and that she should just enjoy her party. However, when it did come to a close, she found herself hesitant to go back to her room. Instead she ventured to dining hall A, where she was now standing and trying to make up her mind.
With one final sigh she walked through the door and glanced around. All of the tables and chairs had been pushed aside, except one table that held a small little vase of roses and two plates of food. She took a few steps forward, her sneakers making small thuds on the floor. She felt a bit underdressed, and wished she had gone back and changed. When she saw some movement in the corner, she glanced over and had to force the butterflies away when she saw him coming toward her. He still wore his jeans and a grey shirt that he had at the party, but now had a dress jacket on top of that.
"I'm glad you made it," he said. She nodded and glanced over his outfit once more. Most guys couldn't pull off the look and make it look formal, but he did somehow.
Just one more thing to add of the list of reasons why Jim Kirk is perfect. She thought. He walked up to her and smiled down.
"I almost didn't," she confessed. He lifted his hand and brushed away a few strands of her blonde hair away from her face, which caused her to blush madly.
"Well, I'm glad you did. I don't cook for just anyone," he said, holding out his arm to take. She raised an eyebrow but took it, deciding to humor him. He led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her.
"Thank you. Are you from the south too?" she asked. He laughed lightly and shook his head.
"Nope, but we still have manners in Iowa," he told her. She nodded and looked down at her plate, smiling at the meal.
"You cook too?" she asked, glancing at the shrimp fettuccini in front of her.
"A bit… I had to growing up, and it was a way to pass the time. Do you?" he asked. She shrugged and watched as he poured her a glass of wine.
"Some… not anything like this. My skills in the kitchen usually include burgers, fries, and stuff like that. Easy to make stuff," she confessed. He chuckled and poured his own glass.
"The only reason I know how to cook this meal was because it was taught in a home economics class in high school. I remembered it because my teacher said it was a nice romantic meal, and would sway the ladies if you knew how to cook it," he told her. She took a sip of her wine and chuckle.
"That doesn't surprise me." He smiled and gestured for her to eat, which she did. They sat in silence for a moment.
"So, what-"
"Why are you doing this?" Claire asked, cutting him off.
"Not one for small talk…" Jim said.
"No, I love small talk… I just…" she trailed off and ran a hand through her hair. If her mother was here, she would definitely have yelled at her for her horrible manners at the table. "After our conversation before shore leave… this is confusing."
"I know…" he replied. Claire looked up and their eyes meeting for a minute.
"What does this mean?" she asked. He was silent, while he moved the noodles around on his plate. As they sat in silence, Claire was sure her heart beat was audible to everyone on the ship, and she was a bit worried she would throw up what little of her dinner she had. After a minute he reached over and took her hand in his. His hand was calloused compared to her silk smooth skin. It immediately showed the contrast of pasts, not that it really mattered in the moment.
"I'm… not one to really date women. I'm not boyfriend material, and usually I run at the thought of committing to someone." Claire felt her heart drop to her stomach, and she wanted to pull her hand away from him, but his grip was tight.
"Oh," was all she said. He looked up at her, his blue eyes capturing her attention immediately.
"Claire… this… whatever we have going on here… it's different. I thought maybe it was only the chase. After you told me that you weren't going to say yes because it was just about the chase, I was just going to give up. I told myself that since you were never going to say yes, it wasn't worth going after you…" he trailed off and let her process what he was saying. She paused and glanced down at his hand, which was still holding onto hers tightly.
"Then… after Riley escaped, and you were there… something changed. I'm not even sure what it was… I just know that after that kiss… I couldn't think of anything else. Over the shore leave I tried to forget about it… but even when I was trying to chase after someone else, my mind was still on you." She raised an eyebrow.
"You tried to forget about me by sleeping with someone else?" she asked, a small smirk on her face. He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"No… not exactly. That was the plan at first… but… after a while I finally realized that…" he stopped and sighed. "It's not about the chase. At first it was… but now… I don't know what it is, but it's not the chase anymore."
"So…" Claire said after a minute. "What does that make this?" she asked. He smiled and looked down at her hand, his thumb nor tracing circles in her skin.
"Well… I was hoping it would be a first date, if that's okay with you," he asked. She couldn't help the smile coming to her lips as her heart seemed to leap up into her throat. Suddenly, she felt her skin tingle at the contact of his skin against hers.
"I guess it could be a first date… but…" she stopped and waited for his reaction. He looked up expectantly.
"But?" he asked. She sighed and used her free hand to run it through hair. She was sure she had done that more tonight than she had in a month.
"I'm… I'm sort of broken," she said quietly. He raise an eyebrow.
"Broken?" he asked. She nodded.
"If we do… date… things will have to be slow. Like I said before, I've been through too much in the past to make this easy for you." He nodded and gave her hand a small squeeze.
"So… what does that mean exactly?" he asked.
"It means… that… physically, things might be slow," she told him. He couldn't help the smirk that came to his lips.
"You're talking about sex right? You don't want to have sex for a while…" he clarified.
"I just… I don't want sex to be just sex anymore. I want it to mean something. I like you a lot, but sex can't be just sex for me." She stopped to see his reaction, and watched as he nodded and raised her hand to his lips.
"Okay," he said after giving her hand a quick kiss.
"Okay?" she asked. He nodded.
"It's going to be hard, and I'm probably going to regret it. But like I said… it's not about the chase anymore. I'm your boyfriend now, so If it's what you want… I'll just have to suffer through it. Just don't be mad at me if I try and convince you to change your mind…" she laughed and nodded.
"That really doesn't sound much different from now. Except for you being my boyfriend," she reminded him. He chuckled and nodded.
"I guess so," he said, but gave her the most sincere smile that he could muster. For a moment, Claire forgot that there was nice hot food sitting in front of her slowly getting cold. She was too distracted by his perfect smile, his passionate eyes, and by the thought that this was all a dream. If it was, it was going to be hell going back to how things were not more than thirty minutes ago. Claire pushed that thought away and took another bite of her dinner.
"This food is really delicious. I might want to give my compliments to the chef," she said slyly, dabbing lightly at her mouth. Jim just chuckled as he took another forkful of his own meal.
"The chef might be pleased to hear it from such a beautiful lady," he replied back. Claire couldn't help the smile that overcame her face and her heart skipped a beat. She could get used to this.
Colleen had stayed behind to help Liam and Alex clean up the party while Rupert took Oliver back to his room. The medicated man was slowly crashing from his sugar high and his British friend was always there to lend a hand. After the room had been set back to normal, Colleen rushed off to find her boyfriend.
"Excuse me, is Lieutenant Conaway here?" She asked as she entered the security deck. Almost everyone shook their heads, with the exception of one man.
"I believe he returned to his quarters after news of the Berlin crew's escape," the same man that had entered Claire's birthday party said. A chill went down Colleen's spine, not from the man's words nor his appearance, but by his very presence.
"Thank you very much," she replied, exiting the security deck as fast as she could. The whole security team was full of men and being an attractive woman like she was, it was hard for Colleen to be in a room full of men. Colleen made it to the lift and pressed in the deck where Ryan's quarters resided. She was very worried about her boyfriend. Just as the doors of the lift opened, Colleen's worry increased.
"Colleen, I was just about to come get you," Alex said as his distressed face appeared before her.
"Alex? What's wrong?" Colleen asked as she stepped out of the lift. Alex grabbed her arm and lead her through the twisting hallways until they were outside Ryan's door.
"It's Ryan…" he trailed off as a loud crash echoed through the hallway. Colleen cringed and stared at the door in disbelief.
"What…?"
"I came up to my room and all I heard was smashing and things breaking. It sounds like he's tearing up his room in there," Alex explained. Colleen felt her heart breaking as she imagined the pain that her boyfriend was going through. So many nights she had listened to Ryan tell her about his internal anguish over everything that had happened on the Berlin. As it was, it was tearing him apart, but he was just starting to get over it when they announced to him that he was going to be head of security on the Enterprise. He could once again be with his friends, his girlfriend, and most importantly, his sister. But now…
"Thank you, Alex. I'll take care of this," she said, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him away gently. Alex nodded and walked in the opposite direction to his own room. Taking a deep breath, Colleen took a step towards Ryan's door and knocked just as the sound of glass shattered broke the silence of the night. Colleen waited for a few moments, but the door didn't open and Ryan never responded. Just as she was about to knock again, another loud crash was heard and Colleen could feel the floor vibrate as if something heavy just hit the ground.
"Computer, emergency situation inside!" Colleen called out. The computer said nothing as it scanned the room. After a second, the doors opened much to Colleen's dismay. That meant the computer scan found something wrong. She took a hesitant step into the room and froze as the scene slowly came into view. The lights were dim, but she could make out broken paintings, books everywhere, a bed overturned, and a bookshelf laying on the ground.
"RYAN!" Colleen shouted as she realized there was a body being crushed by the bookcase. She ran over and was able to push it off after a few minutes of it not budging. When she did she looked over him, frowning when she saw his face a bit bloody and bruised.
"Ryan, can you hear me?" she asked. He didn't respond and she pulled out her communicator. "Sickbay, we have a medical emergency in Ryan Conaway's room, help is needed immediately!" she said.
"I'll be right there," a voice responded. Colleen put her communicator away and her green eyes continued to scan over his face.
"Ryan, come on baby… answer me," she pleaded. There was the sound of a door opening, and Colleen watched as Doctor McCoy made his way over.
"What happened?" he asked, taking in the remains of the room. He left the door open, in case he had to take the man to sickbay.
"I don't know, I was told there was the sound of something crashing and breaking and I came in here to find him under a bookcase." McCoy nodded and pulled a scanner out, checking over his vitals.
"It looks like he has a minor concussion, and some pretty bad cuts and bruises. I don't want to move him until he has woken up," McCoy said. He pulled out his communicator.
"Calling the closest medical officer to Lieutenant Commander Conaway's room, assistance needed immediately," he said. Colleen took in a shaky breath as she looked down at Ryan's bloody knuckles.
"Oh god…" she whispered.
"He'll be alright, a few bumps and bruises, but one he wakes up he should be alright. It looks like her passed out from exhaustion." She nodded.
"I shouldn't have left him alone… I shouldn't have…" there was a silence before they heard someone enter the room.
"Ryan?" McCoy turned around, as did Colleen, just in time to see Claire run into the room. McCoy was also surprised to see Jim right behind her.
"Conaway, you shouldn't be here," McCoy told her. She fell to the floor next to Colleen and looked her brother over.
"What happened?" she asked.
"He lost it… after he found out that the members of the Berlin escaped he just… lost it," Colleen said. Claire began to look him over and reached over to grab a piece of medical equipment, but McCoy stopped her.
"Sir-"
"No, there is a reason family is not allowed to treat each other. You are no exception to the rule. It's best if you don't treat him," he snapped.
"Doctor McCoy-"
"That was not a suggestion, Conaway… if you can't handle it, step outside…" he snapped. She paused before pulling her hand back and standing up. She didn't walk outside, but she did distance herself from her brother. Jim stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. Colleen felt her chest ache as she looked at Ryan's broken body. It seemed just when things were working out, he was kicked on his ass once again.
"He's waking up…" McCoy said suddenly. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath as His eyes began to flutter open. His grip on Colleen's hand tightened for a second before letting go, most likely from the pain of squeezing his hand.
"Ryan…" she breathed. He groaned and opened his eyes fully.
"Lieutenant… how many fingers am I holding up?" McCoy asked.
"Three…" he muttered. Claire gave a sigh of relief as she leaned into Jim subconsciously.
"Can you tell me what happened?" McCoy asked. Everyone waited as the tension continued to build, but Ryan didn't say a word. Claire and Colleen watched as Ryan's grey eyes searched the room in confusion and then stopped. A tear slide down his face as he looked up at all the people in the room.
"Get them out…" he demanded in a weak voice. At first no one moved.
"Ryan, please…" Colleen pleaded, but Ryan closed his eyes as salty tears began to break through.
"GET OUT!" He cried, struggling to get up. McCoy put a firm hand on his chest to keep him down.
"You heard the man, get out. Claire, get me Chambers or Peterson," McCoy instructed. Colleen moved to the door, as if in a trance, but Claire didn't budge.
"No, he's my brother!" She said sternly, but McCoy shot her a glare.
"Conaway, I will make your life hell. He is my patient and he's demanding you leave. It's a reasonable demand. Leave and get me another doctor!" He shouted, causing Claire to flinch. She'd never seen McCoy this angry before, but then again, she'd never told him no. Before she could say another word, Jim put his hand on her shoulder.
"Bones knows what he's doing. For now, just leave your brother," he whispered, pulling her against his body. She left her blood run cold at the captain's words and blindly let him navigate her out of the room. She felt numb and cast one last look at the crazed look on her brother's face as she exited the room.
"Ryan, I must know what's going on," McCoy said in a much gentler tone. Ryan stopped struggling and allowed himself to get pushed down.
"Have you ever felt like your world is just crumbling down?" Ryan asked weakly, looking blankly up at the ceiling. McCoy sighed and nodded.
"I do. I lost the woman I loved in a divorce. Trust me, I know how that feels. But you're still young with a bright future, a caring girlfriend, and a determined sister just like yourself. This Berlin thing has got you down, I'm sure, but it's not the end of the world and you can't let it consume you otherwise they win," McCoy said soothingly. As he looked down at the man who was slowly losing himself, McCoy couldn't help, but seeing himself. It was a road that he was all too familiar with. After a moment of silence, Ryan cleared his throat.
"T-Thank you, Dr. McCoy," Ryan whispered and close his eyes again. McCoy frowned.
"Don't go to sleep, Ryan. You need to stay awake. You need to stay awake and you need to face this," McCoy told him sternly as the door opened again. Alex walked in.
"Sorry it took so long, Dr. McCoy," Alex said as McCoy glared up at him.
"If this was more serious, the patient could have been dead!" McCoy snapped, showing Ryan the cold side that Claire spoke so frequently of. Alex frowned.
"I'm sorry… I was just-"
"Going to heal this man's wounds then help him into a spare room. His injuries aren't serious enough to send him to sickbay." Alex nodded and rushed to help Ryan out. McCoy ran a hand over his face and glanced at Ryan, who was now sitting up and leaning against the bed.
"A word of advice…" McCoy started. Ryan glanced up at him.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Next time you're stressed out, use a punching bag. It's good for stress, helps with your physical health, and sure beats the hell out of fixing your room every time you lose it." Ryan chuckled despite his horrible mood and nodded.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said. McCoy nodded and looked to Alex.
"Chambers…" Alex looked up, a bit of fear present in his eyes.
"Yes sir?" he asked.
"When you're done, report to sickbay. You can join Doctor Conaway on the graveyard shift for the next two weeks," he said, walking out of the room. The doors barely closed before McCoy's voice shouted out. "CONAWAY!"
"Shit, she's going to get it," Alex muttered. Ryan sighed and ran a good hand through his hair.
"Never boring on this ship… huh?" he asked.
"Dude… you have no idea."
And now, to the reviews!
SWfangirl21:
Raxsah: Yes, Liam and Oliver seem to be the comic relief's of the story. Weird enough, I think I kinda agree with Alex on that fight, even though he almost got her killed. I would want to know the truth, but that's just me. We shall keep the chapters going, until we're done. Lol.
Jeck: Yeah, I agree with Alex too, but to each his own, I suppose. Liam was just supposed to be the gay guy and Oliver didn't start out crazy. We just made him that way. Lol
impalame:
Jeck: I'm pretty sure that comment made Raxsah's day. We tried really hard to not make her Mary-sue or anything like that. I'm glad you like our story.
Raxsah: Yes, that did make my day. I have that problem where I will write a character and it ends up being a Mary-sue. So it's nice to finally have a not-sue character. Thank you!
Sophia Gray:
Raxsah: Thank you, we love your review!
Jeck: This is us, updating. I hope it's soon enough for you.
Parallel Days:
Jeck: Thanks for another awesome review. I doubt it's the best story ever. There's a lot of stories out there. Lol I'm glad you think that our portrayal of McCoy was pretty good. Stupid flamers. Why I oughta…
Raxsah: The best story may be much, but the top ten definitely. The Kirk and Claire part was a long time coming, lol. I fangirled while writing that part. I'm glad you like McCoy, even though he might be OOC, I'm glad you don't think so. Thankies!
Sprngrmln:
Raxsah: Thank you! I'm glad you like the story, and the characters.
Jeck: We're just that awesome. Lol Keep reading cause it gets better.
Jeck: So yeah, that's pretty much it for us. We'll be updating a little more regularly now. I work, but we'll work around my schedule. Our major goal is to finish the story first.
Raxsah: And getting my license… anyone wanna teach me how to parallel park? Lol. Don't worry, I don't work (Sadly) So I'll most likely be looking after the story.
Jeck: We"ll you get a nice awesome used car. Time to start getting ready for life after college. And now, we'll wrap this chapter up.
Raxsah:Later!