Hi Readers,

I just wanted to say thank you for all of your wonderful reviews and feedback so far. I've got a rough plan for where I see this story headed but I'll definitely try and accommodate some of your awesome ideas.

Cheers.

As Ash closed the door quietly behind her, Michael took in the state of his room and she began to take note of little things that she hadn't last night. Although Ash had been a member of the crew for a number of weeks now, and had been given his quarters soon after his arrival, the room still lacked a feel of having been lived in. His living space was sparsely furnished, and the walls and tables were bare and lacked any ornamentation. Michael wondered if the emptiness of the room was the result of someone used to the orderly state of a military life, or if he subconsciously felt as if his posting on the Discovery was a short-term arrangement. She felt a painful twist in her gut at the thought of Lieutenant Tyler moving on. As she stood contemplating that terrible thought, she felt a hand gently press against the small of her back as Ash moved up beside her. The touch sent a pleasant shock down her spine. His other hand gestured towards the couch that she had been sleeping on just a few hours earlier.

"Please, take a seat," he whispered quietly in her ear. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Michael nodded gratefully. "That sounds nice," she said, giving him a warm smile. She sat gently on the couch as Ash walked over to the replicator by the small table.

"Chamomile okay?" he asked, as he began pressing buttons on the panel.

"Yes, thank you."

Michael leaned back carefully against the cushions and watched him prepare the drinks. She was painfully reminded of last night, being here with Ash, as they had had a conversation that was more open and emotionally vulnerable than she had experienced before. Part of her was honoured that he felt comfortable enough to open up around her but she was also afraid that she was so emotionally stunted that she wouldn't be able to help him. That feeling was exacerbated by the knowledge that she knew he hadn't yet told her everything. When they had been in the elevator earlier, something had been bothering him, and she was worried that he was still holding something back, but Michael knew that now was not the time to press him.

Having replicated two chamomile teas for them, Ash slowly made his way back over to the couch while holding the two steaming mugs in front of him. Michael, having been deep in thought, jumped a little as a cup was offered to her. She looked up and saw a smirking Ash standing in front of her, waiting for her to take the mug from him.

Michael smiled shyly and took the tea. He sat down next to her, at a comfortable distance. Their knees were barely touching as they turned slightly to face each other. Ash brought his drink to his lips and took a hesitant sip of the hot liquid. He looked over smiled as he saw Michael holding her mug between both hands as she quietly blew on her tea. Having felt his eyes, Michael gazed up and saw his eyes dark with some emotion she couldn't quite place. She fidgeted under his stare.

"So, crazy day huh?" she offered, hoping to defuse the current tension she felt.

Ash gave out a chuckle and an unbelieving shake of his head. "That's an understatement." He leaned forward and placed his mug on the coffee table then propped his forearms on his knees and loosely clasped his hands together. "The crew isn't going to take the news well," he said, his voice dropping as he fell back into the events that had transpired earlier that day. "Not that anyone could blame them." He smiled wryly at her and Michael felt a warmth settle in her chest, one that she was beginning to associate with being around the Lieutenant and looking into his expressive brown eyes, as she was now. She opened her mouth to ask something, but hesitated, wondering if it would be appropriate. He looked at her questioningly. Michael quickly took a sip of her tea before placing her mug down next to his and turning back to him.

"I realized- well, I was just wondering if you have- or… had, rather…, any family back home?" she stuttered. Michael felt intrusive but she couldn't help but feel curious as she realized that she didn't know anything about Ash's life back on Earth. Did he have any siblings? Why had he decided to join Starfleet? She suddenly felt a strong urge to know everything she could about this man.

Ash shook his head sadly. "My mother was the only family I knew. She had a sister, but they weren't close and I had only met her once. After my mom died, I was alone," he paused for a moment, thinking. Michael reached out and covered his hand with hers. He looked down at where their hands were joined, his thumb reaching up to stroke hers. "It was difficult, for a time. My mother and I were close. As soon as I graduated from the academy, I headed off world. To get away I guess. I never went back to Earth. Somehow it didn't feel like home, knowing that she wasn't there anymore," he finished, sadly.

Michael watched him sympathetically. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling bad for bringing up unpleasant memories.

Ash looked back up at her. "You two would have gotten along well. My mother was a brilliant woman. She was the reason I decided to join Starfleet," he explained to her.

Michael listened intently, watching him smile sadly to himself as he reminisced.

"Before I was born, my mother studied history. She was enchanted by history's great explorers and wanted nothing more than to learn and teach and she used to tell me that there is nothing more human than the inexplicable drive to do what has never been done, and to go where no one has been before."

He stopped for a moment, lost in thought as he rubbed a thumb across her knuckles. Michael waited patiently for him to continue.

"When I was born she gave up a lot of her dreams for me. She had just finished her undergraduate studies and took a teaching degree online while I was a baby. My father wasn't in the picture," he offered, knowing she was curious but too polite to ask. Michael nodded sympathetically. "Of course, my mother would have never told me that the life we had together wasn't exactly what she had always wanted, but I could tell that she had never quite felt settled." A small smile came to his face now as he remembered a happy memory. "Every summer, when we were both off school, we would drive down to the San Francisco Fleet Yards and watch the Starships being moved or worked on. Sometimes if we were lucky we were able to see a launch." Ash paused to reach over and take a drink from his tea. Michael, surprised into remembering that the drinks were there, did the same.

"When I told my mother that I wanted to join Starfleet she was so proud," he continued, "I don't think she had envisioned me becoming a soldier though." He chuckled good-naturedly and Michael couldn't help but join him.

He stopped suddenly, a pensive and surprised look coming over him. "You know, you might be one of the only people on this ship who could still have family out there," he suggested, watching for her reaction. Michael blinked. She really hadn't considered that. Barring an injury or illness, it was true that there was a good chance that both Sarek and Spock could be alive. She wondered what it would be like to see them again, after so many years. Unable to voice an appropriate response, she nodded solemnly.

In the sudden silence, Michael began to feel a tension between them. Not an uncomfortable one- quite the opposite actually- and felt that she should probably give him some time to rest before they were back on duty. She slowly put down her mug and began to open her mouth to suggest that it was time she should be going, when something in his eyes stopped her.

"Stay," he whispered. "I don't want to be alone right now. Just lie down with me for a little while. Please?"

Michael couldn't help the blush she felt rising to her cheeks. "Okay"

He smiled gratefully and, placing his mug down, stood and offered her his hand. Standing so close to each other, she really noticed how tall he was as she came face-to-face with his chest. They moved to his room, which Michael noticed was just as sparsely furnished as the remainder of his quarters, with merely a double bed pushed against the far wall, flanked by two end tables, and a dresser to the left of it. The bed, looking immensely more comfortable than the small twin she usually slept on, was covered in a dark grey duvet. While the room lacked any personal features, there was still something undeniably masculine about it.

"Computer, set an alarm for 15:30 hours," Ash declared, walking around to the left side of the bed and placing his padd on the bedside table. The computer affirmed his order.

Michael sat down on the edge of the bed and carefully removed her shoes before moving up towards the headboard and laying back. As she felt the other side of the bed dip under the weight of another body, she rolled to her side to face him. He did the same, so they could face each other, and he brought a hand across to hold hers where it lay on the bed. Michael thought that she would feel far more uncomfortable, laying here with him like this, but she instead felt far more at ease than she had all day. She was surprised, given her lack of experience with intimacy. Her experience was limited to two short relationships that she had had in the academy, neither of which had meant much more than mutual satisfaction. Michael, having never had the chance on Vulcan due to the taboo against human-vulcan partnerships, felt a desire to experiment when she entered the academy when she found herself suddenly surrounded by eligible human males. The first relationship had begun shortly after she started at the academy, with a Russian-born cadet that she had met in a military tactics class. He was bright and ambitious, and having learned of her upbringing on Vulcan, had questioned her about what the planet and people were like. When she had admitted her lack of experience with sexual relationships, he had suggested that they could learn from one another, and he had said it in such logical terms that Michael was happy to agree. Over time though, when he began to feel an attachment to her, while she obviously lacked any desire or ability to form an emotional connection, he became bored and they slowly drifted apart. Her second relationship had ended on similar terms, and Michael began to feel as if there was probably something fundamentally wrong with her. While not for lack of effort, she didn't seem to be able to connect with men on a level any deeper than physically, and since leaving the academy, she hadn't had any opportunity to try again given her status of power on the Shenzhou and then her status as a mutineer after the Battle at the Binary Stars. Despite her acceptance long ago that there was something fundamentally wrong with her and that she would live a life of solitude, she now found herself feeling a pull towards Lieutenant Tyler that she could not explain.

Although it felt wrong, she couldn't help but wonder if it was because he too was broken.

Chastising herself, she looked into his eyes, deep pools that were filled with an emotion that reflected her own, and regretted having such a despicable thought. He smiled weakly before closing his eyes. Michael could see the exhaustion on his face and hoped that he would be able to get some sleep. She watched him for a moment longer, observing the way the crease between his eyebrows loosened as he relaxed, before she too closed her eyes and joined him in unconsciousness.