What a Day Part 1 [Backpost]

Posted on 25 Jan 2017 @ 4:19am by Master Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin & Ensign Aidan Crehan

2,676 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Endgame
Location: Mila and Aidan's Quarters
Timeline: MD 11 || 1700 Hours

Aidan had gotten the message from Mila about thirty minutes ago. And he couldn't get it out of his mind. He couldn't get her out of his mind. He smiled, very glad that she felt as comfortable around him as she did. For he felt very comfortable around her. She had gone to see Joey and deliver the beach scene that he had painted for her. He was happy with the way the painting had turned out and he couldn't wait to hear from Mila how Joey had responded.

He leaned back on the couch, letting his head rest on the top. He rolled it over to the side and looked at Chow, who was sitting on the back. "You do not look very comfortable, my friend," he said to the Capuchin. "Why don't you come down here," he added, patting the couch beside him.

Chow gave a hoot and hopped down beside of the man and looked up at him. The little Capuchin had a pistachio nut in his hand and offered it to him with a broad monkey grin.

Aidan reached and took the proffered pistachio and held for a moment. Chow was good little monkey, however... Aidan smiled, "Thank you, Chow. You are most certainly in a sharing mood this evening."

A moment later, the door swished open and Mila came through wearing pair of comfortable neutral gray jeans, a pair of black running shoes and a light purple top. Her face lit up when she saw Aidan with Chow and she smiled as she approached them. "How are my two favorite men doing?" she asked.

Aidan looked up as the doors opened and grinned. He stretched his legs out and wiggled his bare toes. He patted Chow on the head and stood to welcome Mila back home. The hem of his grey 'Starfleet Academy PT' shirt fell over the waistband of the matching shorts. Aidan put the pistachio on the arm of the couch as he wrapped his arms around Mila hugged her. "We are doing well," he said. "Though he seems to want to share that pistachio for some reason." He kissed her cheek and backed up a bit.

Mila returned the hug and blinked when he merely kissed her cheek. Just when I am thinking day could not get worse she thought but put a smile on he face. "He is probably finding it on floor if he is offering it to you," she said with a laugh. "I am hoping that you are having better day than I had."

Aidan eyed Chow and laughed. "I promise, I will learn your ways, little one." He turned his attention back to Mila, putting his hand around her waist. "My day? Well, the rocking and the shaking during the battle made things...interesting, shall we say...in the Science Labs. But it sounds like your day was full of rocking and shaking, too. Why don't you have a seat and tell me about it," he added, leading her to the couch. How Joey responded to the painting would have to wait.

She went to the couch with him and gave Chow a pet before she settled down and the little monkey crawled into her lap and leaned against her chest. "My day...." she started with an eye roll. "It was starting with me having to go down to medical and babysit Doctor Kij while she whined about having no one to talk to, snap when I am trying to get her to do it faster, and insult you when I am trying to make friendly conversation."

"It sounds like the Doctor was having one of those days that we are all famous for having," said Aidan. "Not that I am making excuses for her. I have noticed people getting snappy in their replies in the Science department as well. As for her insulting me, I have heard many things over many decades. As I'm sure Kij, the symbiont, has as well." He put his arm around her shoulders and patted her upper arm. "Perhaps you can try friendly conversation again when we are back in our time and space." He paused a moment and thought of what he'd just said and smile. The Nexus was past. His Nexus was sitting on the couch beside him.

"I am accidentally letting slip that Joey is being with Harvey and she is saying she could not care less, but I am not believing her," Mila said as she laid her head against his chest. "After that, I am taking report to Captain and telling him what is happening and he is accusing me of starting rumors. After all that I have done to stop rumors, he says that. It will be warm day in Siberia before I am going out of my way to keep things smooth for him."

He gave a gentle squeeze on her arm as she placed her head on his chest. "That may be the case for the Captain in that particular regard. But I'm sure you'll still do your job as Yeoman. Just, as you put it, not going out of your way. But, did you tell him that it was an accident?"

"Da," Mila said. "I also told him that if he is viewing his relationship with Joey as a rumor that I should be telling her that so she is knowing where she is standing with him. He is surprising me after that, but did not apologize."

"Is that something you could address with him at a later time? When we get back to Unity, our Unity. If we have a few days where he is able to decompress mentally, that is."

"We shall see," she said as she laid an arm across his torso and sighed. "I am just hoping that something is there for us when we are getting back." She paused and took a breath. "I went to see Joey and took painting you made for her, but she did not open it. She is saving it as surprise for Harvey and was busy writing report when I went to see her."

"Hmm, I suppose it will be a surprise for her then as well," said Aidan. He could have asked how Joey was doing or how she found being in temporary charge of Security. But there was something else. Mila had sighed. Not too noticeable mind you, but she was resting on his chest. He reached his free hand up and ran his fingers through her hair, letting it fall back down. "I have heard about your day, but I have not heard about you, my sighing songbird. How are you doing?"

"Is wanting to scream sounding okay?" Mila asked, a shiver going through her as he slid his fingers through her hair. "Everywhere I am looking, I am seeing people who are ready to snap and I am being afraid that I am one of those people. I cannot forget anything, Aidan and I am seeing very bad pattern. The crew of this ship is coming very dangerously close to edge and there is not being big enough Security department or brig to contain it when it happens."

"Yes, dear. You may scream as loud as you wish for as long as you wish," Aidan replied. He gave her a gentle pat on the back. "Tensions are high and have been since we entered this place and had to find our own way in a completely different reality. And as far as the people that are ready to snap, I think having someone to talk with would help. As you pointed out, the Doctor said she didn't have anyone to talk to. Others do, and so do you. Perhaps some kind of crew party after we get back to get people talking and interacting. It might take their minds off of everything for a while." He paused a few seconds to simply enjoy her resting on him. "If it happens, Mila."

She had started to reply, then her hazel eyes went distant at his last words. "Is not an option to not get back," she said quietly. "We are having to get back one way or another even if we are having to invent technology to be getting back. As for party...is not bad idea. Enough of that, though. Is depressing. Tell me of your day."

"Indeed," he said. "My day was interesting to say the least. One of the stellar cartographers, an Ensign I believe, was trying to lighten the mood in Lab I was working in. So he started telling jokes. And believe me, they were anything but Stellar. And yes, that is what he opened with. 'I've got some jokes and they're so stellar, they're out of this world,' he said. You should have heard the groan that rippled through the lab. Then he started. 'A photon walks into a bar and orders a drink. The bartender says, ‘Do you want a double?’ And the photon says, ‘No I’m traveling light.' It was bad."

Mila stared at him and didn't know if she should laugh or groan, so the sound she made was a combination of both. She shook her head and brought a hand up to her face before she could reply. "I am thinking that if he is having more jokes like that, he would be best suited for probe. Hopefully new civilizations he encounters will not start war when he is telling more."

Aidan started laughing and tried to control it. He didn't want to bounce Mila off of his chest. "But you are on the right track. I think it might work. He went on with a few more until a Lieutenant threatened to space his jokes. He said that his jokes couldn't be spaced unless he was so his jokes would stick around. The Lieutenant just stood there, grinning. Everyone else started slowly laughing. After that, people were less snappy. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Until the attack started, that is. But that is another depressing topic that I do not wish to get into. So let's talk about a possible party when we return. I think it would be best held on Unity where there is more room."

"Oh! Speaking of parties, I am wishing to arrange something for Joey," Mila said as she remembered something. "She is having birthday coming up in couple days and I have been wrecking brain to try to figure out what she is liking. I am knowing she is being from Hawaii on Earth and thinking luau. It would be beach party on holodeck with a lot of music, holo fire dancers and more. Is that sounding like good idea?"

"Oh, a birthday! And a party to top it all off. That sounds like a great idea, Mila. Joey has a terrific friend and sestra in you. And with her being from Hawaii, the beach party and native theme is perfect," said Aidan. "I am certain that she will like it. How can I help?"

"First, we would be needing way to get her there," Mila said. "If she is suspecting that we are throwing surprise party, she may not be coming. She has not mentioned having birthday soon at all and if I were not looking at personnel file, I would not be knowing. What is getting person in Security's attention when they are being off duty?"

"Hmm," said Aidan as he thought. "Well, reports of a fight might do it. But it would have to be a big one or a prominent crew member so as to garner her attention. If not, she might simply dispatch a team to take care of it."

She thought about it for a moment. "Would require Captain's help," she mused. "If she is thinking that he is being in trouble, I am certain she would be showing up. He would have to be at party, of course, and willing, but I am thinking he would be agreeable."

"I am certain he would be agreeable with all of it. Especially after what you have told me of the balloons," said Aidan. "I think he would be ready to do what he could to help get her to the party. Have you told him about her birthday or party?"

"Not yet," Mila said as Chow moved from her lap to Aidan's and curled up. "I am just learning this before I am getting off duty today and mind started working when you are mentioning having party for crew once we are back in our universe. Also, I am mad at him at moment and he is needing to apologize."

"There is that, yes. Perhaps I can be the one to relay the request to him, then." Aidan looked down at Chow and smiled as the little Capuchin curled up on his lap. "Have you thought of a gift for her?"

"Da," she said with a smile. "I am thinking of getting her surfboard with clock for nightstand. Is not big as regular surfboard, but would remind her that there is always being time for surfing."

"Now there is a very thoughtful gift," said Aidan. "Something to remind her that she doesn't always need to be writing reports sounds like a good gift." He paused for a second and thought. "I'm just not sure what I should get her. I don't know her as well as you do. I suppose a box full of balloons and a water gun would be a gift to also remind her to have fun."

Mila belly laughed at that and the memory of the balloon and water gun battle that she and Joey had had with Harvey. It took her a moment to catch her breath and she looked up at him. "I have never been there, but I am thinking something to do with ocean," she said. "Maybe stuffed sea turtle or whatever is good native custom for gift giving. I know she was having carved hula dancer which broke when we hit gravimetric distortion before we are getting in before fight. Maybe something like that?"

Aidan listened to Mila laugh and joined in. His comment had its desired effect, to make her laugh and help take her mind off of the day. Especially since he had made the slip-up of bringing Harvey back into the conversation earlier. "Yes, something to do with the ocean or the carved hula dancer you mentioned. But, the ocean...I like that idea. It reminds of the painting I did for her. Yes, perhaps something ocean or Hawaiian beach oriented. Like the carved hula dancer."

"Hmm....I am having idea," she said after a minute of thought. "Why are you not doing some research and giving her Hawaiian beach in an aquarium? It may not be real thing, but would be a piece of home which is almost as good as home when you are in space."

He thought about that for a couple of minutes and then nodded his head. "Yes...have the holodeck bring up a particular beach in Hawaii, get the algorithms for the sand sent to the replicator, store them until I get back here, and replicate the sand that the holodeck created. Put in a few small palm tree replicas and anything that would be appropriate. And it would not need to be a large aquarium. Yes...that would work." He took Mila's chin in hand, gently lifted her head up, and leaned to kiss her soft lips. "You, my Mila, are brilliant."

Mila returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. "See? While I may be brilliant, you are being man with the plan," she told him. Chow decided it was time to evacuate Aidan's lap and scampered off to see if he had more pistachios. Mila watched him go, then took his place on Aidan's lap. "So, my dear Sir Knight," she said as she made herself comfortable. "What is being plan for tonight?"

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