Perfect Endings

Posted on 02 Mar 2017 @ 2:10am by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Captain Harvey Geisler
Edited on on 02 Mar 2017 @ 7:25am

5,447 words; about a 27 minute read

Mission: Endgame
Location: Captain's Quarters
Timeline: MD 15 || 2100 Hours

Joey sat on the couch in the living room with her legs tucked under her body and held her guitar on her lap. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been inspired enough to play, but after the perfect day those closest to her made possible, she thought it deserved the perfect ending. And so, here she was, pondering what she wanted to play.

A lot inspired her as of late, but her biggest inspiration came in the form of the man who had captured her heart. Never in all of her life did a man make her feel the way he did. He made her want to be the best person she could be in every sense of the word. He breathed new life into her.

He'd once told her that during his off hours he'd spend his time holed up inside his quarters reading the latest medical paper or a book she had no doubt he'd likely read more than once. Now, he was coming out of his shell more and more as each day passed. He'd even announced they were together, in his own way, to those at the party. She no longer felt as though he was hiding her away, or that a small part of him might have been a touch ashamed of being with her. In fact, she was a total idiot for even letting something so foolish creep its way into her subconscious. Then again... her own insecurities played a huge role in that, and she had quite a few of those despite how she portrayed herself.

Joey took a deep breath and strummed a few chords. Playing the guitar was a lot like riding a bike to her, and she couldn't help but smile when Pequeno raised his little head from where he was laying and gave a howl. With a smile, she set the guitar aside and scooped up the little pup so she could rub his head. "You'll get used to it, little man. I promise I'm pretty good at it," she said as Rico chose that moment to join her on the couch, resting his head on her lap.

She still didn't know how she managed to get so lucky, and after the three of them were settled and comfortable, she began to sing while rubbing their heads.

"Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you."

She finished the song, then looked between the two dogs. They'd both fallen asleep.

Harvey had been sitting alone in the arm chair. Though two PADDs set on the coffee table in front of him (one was the latest Intelligence Report from the sensor network, detailing both the additional ships that bolstered Deep Space Eleven's defenses and the barrage that the Consortium had started on the planet below while the other was the latest readiness report from the ship's Executive Officer), Harvey's hand held the open copy of William Harvey's "A History of the Discovery of the Circulation of the Blood" which Joey had given him barely two weeks ago. While he had read it back during his Academy days, he was woefully due for a re-read.

He didn't get too far into it as Joey had begun to play her guitar, another of the many talents he didn't know she had, and found himself engrossed in the music. "That's beautiful," he remarked as he rose from the chair. Standing, he closed the book, set it on the coffee table, and slid next to Joey on the couch.

Joey smiled and shifted around a bit to lean against him when he settled down next to her. "I can't take any credit for it, but thank you. I haven't actually played my guitar or sang in..." she looked thoughtful while doing a little mental math. "It's been well over a year."

She slipped an arm behind him and brought her hand to the back of his head, running her fingertips over his scalp. "You are quite the sneaky individual, Mister Geisler. I had no idea what was going to happen today. Thank you for the part you played in the surprise. This was the first birthday I've celebrated since I was seventeen years old."

"I can't take any credit," he honestly replied. "It was all Mila's idea. After all, I still hadn't the courage to check your birthdate on your personnel profile." Other than knowing that this was her birthday, he still wasn't completely aware of her age. Just the fact that, in uniform, she brandished two pips on her collar to his four told him that there had to be several years between the two of them. And then, when he took into account that he was late getting into Starfleet Academy and spent too many years not trying to (and refusing to) advance in rank, that only increased the divide. Not knowing was better in his book.

"Courage? You've got much more courage than you give yourself credit for. Look at everything you've done in just a couple short weeks," Joey said, smiling over at him. "You are an amazing man, and I'm very lucky. You make life worth living, Harvey, and every day that I get to be with you is another day I know I'll be happy." For the longest time, she kept things like she'd just said to herself, but it was beyond time to get past that and tell him. He deserved to know how she felt.

He smiled and leaned in for a brief kiss. He considered himself more lucky than her for he never would have thought he'd find love again. Just having her on the couch this time of night was enough to brighten his spirits, even after some of the disparaging reports he just reviewed. "Seventeen, huh?" he asked.

Joey returned the kiss and smiled. "Twelve years. When I joined the Academy, it was right after my eighteenth birthday, but there wasn't much time to celebrate anything. I was too busy getting ready for the next chapter of my life," she said. "Now... I'm twenty-nine and holding." She couldn't help but laugh at that. It wasn't meant to be taken seriously. She appreciated her birthdays for the fact she made it another year without losing her life.

He nodded and sighed as he leaned back into the couch. "Twenty-three seventy-two," he said. "That's the last time I celebrated. It was the last time it mattered." For the first time, he actually tried to calculate his own age. Harvey knew that every year was just a tally mark. Yet, the day and the anniversary that had followed soon after it only served to make him remember an event that he'd pushed away for more than fifteen years.

"If today taught me anything, it's that life is worth living. The people we lose... they wouldn't want us to shut down and become an empty husk of a person," she said softly, slipping her hand over his. "Come March twenty-fourth, we should celebrate your birthday. Even if it's something quiet with just the two of us. And in case you're wondering, I did check out your personnel file."

"Want and reality are always two different things, sadly," Harvey said with a sigh. "But, that chapter is over now, and I'm glad it is. And you checked out my personnel file?" He chuckled. "I should read that sometime. I know there's quite a few reprimands and other surprises in store. Did you read those as well?"

Joey shook her head. "I didn't. Some things should be left private, but you did once tell me you were reprimanded a few times, and that you were surprised you weren't booted out of Starfleet," she replied, then chose to ask him something she'd been wanting to for a while, but was afraid to. "Do you believe in fate?"

That was quite the question. "The war made it pretty difficult to get rid of problematic officers. As far as Starfleet is concerned, the war straightened me out." The truth, which he would never admit, was that losing his wife 'straightened' him out. A tragic loss like his would sober and dull any man. "Do I believe in fate?" he echoed with a sigh. "I can't say I really know either way. Karma maybe."

"Karma doesn't seem to be kind. When I was younger, my grandparents taught me 'what goes around, comes around'," she said softly. Joey wanted to think that some force had a hand in bringing them together, but that was just ridiculous. They were both grown adults and had made the decision to be together on their own. "It taught me about that a pretty young age. Had you not straightened out, we probably would have never met one another. Though, I'm sure you would still be making strides to rediscover yourself in your own way."

"True," Harvey remarked. "But I have to say, I wouldn't have wanted it to turn out any differently than it has. If anything, I just wish I found you sooner. At least you've been traveling the stars for different reasons than I. And had you chosen not to give up being a CPO, we probably never would have met."

"It was time for me to close that chapter of my life. There were far too many close calls regarding my life and the lives of others. It was a lot of pressure, and not many people can hack it, which is why not everyone can become a CPO," she said, drawing shapes on the back of his hand with a fingernail. "I'm glad I did, though. That choice brought me to you. I believe that things happen for a reason, and that things are meant to happen at a certain point in time. If we had met sooner, we probably wouldn't be sitting as we are right now. The reason for that is simple enough."

She paused to try to find the right words to explain what she meant. "You had to be ready to want to rediscover yourself... to want to move forward. If I had come in at another point in your life, chances are you would have shut me out like you'd done with others before me. That's because you weren't ready. You and I met at just the right time, and because of that, I can honestly say I believe in fate."

He could only smile. His past prevented him from saying more. Harvey didn't know why he found it so difficult to say anything otherwise. Perhaps in time, he could say more. "I do believe in destiny, that every person has a purpose in life. Some are destined... to walk a road harder than others. It's no question that mine was a hard road. Maybe it was meant to prepare me... to prepare us all for the threat we now face. And for the future that follows." He shrugged. It wasn't like him to get all philosophical. "Sorry. I shouldn't get so heavy on your birthday."

"No... don't apologize. We should be more open with each other regardless of what the day is," Joey said, setting Pequeno on the ground so he could find his bed and settle in for the night. The larger dog wasn't too far behind him, leaving their humans to have the couch to themselves. "Perhaps, it's a bit of both. Fate... is something that is beyond our control, but destiny... is what we're meant to do. Either way... I'm not going to question them. They brought you into my life, and that is quite possibly the best thing that's happened to me."

"In which case, it seems fate has invested all of those years into quite the overdue birthday present," he said with a smile. He thought the remark was a bit cheesy, but it worked all the same. "And I'm happy to know I wasn't meant to walk alone forever."

Joey leaned forward to kiss him softly. "I'll walk with you as long, and as far, as you want me to," she said quietly, kissing him a second time for good measure. It still felt like a dream... being with him. She'd never take him for granted, or do anything to screw what they had up. "This is only the beginning, and nothing but good things can follow."

He couldn't help but to be less than optimistic. "I sure hope so," Harvey said. "Just promise me you'll never leave." Harvey wouldn't admit it, but he didn't think he could take another loss. Not like this.

Joey shifted around until she was settled on his lap. Making such a promise when she was in Security seemed impossible, and she really wanted to, but what if circumstances beyond her control made her unable to keep it? This had her rethinking her career choice. Maybe there was a way. "I can promise you that I will never willingly leave you. You're the only person in this life, or any other, that I want to be with," she paused, trying to keep her voice level as the thought of leaving him became clearer in her mind. "I don't intend to go anywhere for a long time, and I hope you don't, either."

"Oh, I plan to stay in command for as long as Starfleet allows it." Harvey sighed, just thinking about the years of service he'd had. "In fact, if they try to move me again, I think I'll just tender my resignation. Don't know what I'd do, but it'll be an adventure, I'm sure." He looked at Joey and smiled. "Thank you," he said. "For everything."

"You don't have to thank me, Harvey. You deserve to be happy," she said softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek. The love Joey had for him was scary. A good scary, but scary nonetheless. She'd never felt the way she did about him with anyone, and hoped to never have to find out if it could happen more than once in a lifetime for her. "From today on... life will be our adventure, and I'm looking forward to every second of it."

Harvey wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close (not that she had too far to go) and gave her a passionate kiss. "Me too," he said. "Me too."

Joey returned the kiss and laid her head against his shoulder. The day had turned out to be better than she could have hoped it would be, and it even made her look forward to turning thirty the following year. But... there was a war to be won. There was time to worry about that tomorrow. For now, she planned to enjoy what was left of her birthday with him. "It's just us now. What do you think about doing something fun? Something I bet you've never done before in your life."

"That could be a very long list," Harvey said with a grin. "What did you have in mind?"

Leaning in to kiss him, she reached for one of the tropical throw pillows (Something she'd brought to add more color.) on the couch and pulled back just as she whacked him with it. She laughed and carefully jumped off his lap. "A pillow fight, of course. Now... you gotta catch me," she said, making a beeline for the bedroom with her pillow still in hand.

Harvey blinked twice. He was stunned, primarily because he had not noticed the pillows on the couch. In fact, he took a quick moment to scan his quarters and noted she had been doing some decorating when he'd had his nose in some PADD. Such was the life of a Starfleet Captain.

He picked up one of the pillows from the couch and slowly followed her into the bedroom. A smile was plastered on his face, hoping his slow movements only provided some well-implied trepidation.

In the bedroom, Joey grabbed her pillow from the bed and paused, listening for movement from the other room. When she didn't hear anything, she fought back a panicked laugh and quickly surveyed her surroundings. She needed a place to hide so she could ambush him, though, she had a feeling he was the one about to do that to her.

With her pillow in one hand and the throw pillow in the other, she made a mad dash for the bathroom. Oh, the fact he hadn't appeared yet made her heart race, but it was definitely exciting. She pressed her back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the sounds she heard. Without it, he would definitely catch her off guard, and since there weren't many places to hide, she knew he'd have no trouble figuring out where she was.

Harvey could tell instantly that the bedroom was empty. The bed was low enough that the only way Joey could be hiding on the other side was if she were flat on the floor. Rico laid on the bed, just watching Harvey. He cocked his head to one side, wondering what Not-The-Mama was up to, and if he should be concerned.

Pequeno, on the other hand, rushed to the bathroom, the only logical place to hide. Though the room was dark, both Pequeno yipping at someone just on the other side of the threshold, and the darkened silhouette betrayed by the mirror was more than enough for Harvey to know where to find Joey. He continued to walk, not hurry, towards her location.

"Pequeno... you're supposed to be sleeping, you traitor," she said from her hiding spot. From the same mirror, Harvey saw her silhouette in, she spotted him walking her way. Joey was trapped... or was she? Biting her lip to keep from laughing, she ducked down and duck walked to the farthest side of the bathroom.

Why was he keeping her in suspense? It was driving her crazy! He was doing it on purpose... he already proved he could be sneaky. Now, Joey needed to formulate a quick plan so she could get out of her very tight spot.

Of course Harvey spotted her silhouette moving and wasn't at all surprised when the yipping Pequeno disappeared further into the bathroom. He chuckled to himself as he grabbed the dog pillow from the foot of the bed (yet another recent arrival). A heartbeat later he was at the threshold. He sprung into action, chucking the couch pillow into the darkest part of the bathroom and prepared to swing the other at what came out from there.

Joey acked when the Pequeno started jumping up to lick her in the face, then gave another when the pillow nailed her in the side of her head. She could see him standing in the doorway with the second pillow in his hand. This was war. She tossed the throw pillow in his direction, and as the fluffy projectile flew through the small room toward him, she took the opportunity to dive between him and the doorjamb.

Oh, it was a tight squeeze. So tight in fact, she hit her hip on the doorjamb instead of knocking him over. It definitely smarted, but not enough to stop her. Joey tucked and rolled, coming to her feet behind him where she lobbed the second pillow in his direction.

The sound of her hip hitting the doorjamb was impossible to miss, but it was just as easy for Harvey to ignore as he was not prepared at all for her reflexes and movement. He'd read her reports of what happened on the Chimera, and he knew enough of her history to know that she was a force to be reckoned with. Harvey about faced and swung the pillow only to hit nothing. Had he waited for a full second, he would have been able to swat away the projectile.

What mattered was that he had both throw pillows in his possession. Harvey knew keeping them would only make her be more resourceful, but it also meant that she'd be defenseless for now. Leaving the pillows on the ground, he launched himself at her, swinging his pillow once again.

Joey hadn't been prepared for him to launch himself at her considering he'd taken his time getting to her before. She took a couple hits before she dove for the bed where there was more ammunition to be had. With a bell flop landing, Joey reached for one of the pillows and rolled onto her back to launch it at him, laughing all the while. "Take that!" In the past couple of weeks, she'd had more fun with him than she could remember having in a long time.

Harvey found himself laughing harder than he had in a long time. This time, he deflected the launched pillow where it slapped Rico in the face. Rico, in turn, jerked in surprise but did little to reply. He still didn't understand what the humans were doing.

Pequeno, however, didn't want to be left out. The little pup hopped onto the bed and began to tug at a loose piece of clothing, playfully growling all the while.

She couldn't help but laugh at Rico's confusion or Pequeno's 'vicious' attack of the clothing. Joey was definitely going to have to break the pup of that habit before she and Harvey were reduced to wearing rags, but for now... there were more pressing things to see to. It just happened that that was the laughing man standing not too far from the bed.

Joey slipped off of the bed and grinned. She didn't want to give him the chance to take off, so she pounced, brining her fingers to his ribs to tickle him. Now, she just prayed he wouldn't do it back. If the enemy ever chose to tickle her... well... it wouldn't end well. For her.

"Ack!" cried Harvey as his sides were bombarded by a sensation he had not felt in a long time. He could not help but laugh, but he could not allow this to go on for long. Struggling against her tickles, he brought his hands to her side and returned the bombardment with one of his own, lightly and quickly brushing his fingertips across her sides.

"Noooo!" Joey wailed the second his fingertips touched her sides. Her physical weakness had been revealed, and she definitely wasn't going to stand there and take it. Quickly, she grabbed one of his arms and bent it behind his back (It wasn't a move to hurt him.), using that momentum to turn them both until the bed was behind him. With that out of the way, then pounced, her fingertips going for his sides once more.

Harvey's eyes widened. He certainly didn't see that coming. "Hey!" he protested, though he made no move at all to resist. "No fair!" he shouted over the bellows of laughter.

Hearing him laugh made her laugh, and that only filled her further. Harvey could get out of it if he wanted to, and she knew it. Joey straightened up as she looked at him from her current position and grinned. "Let's see... are you ticklish here?" She asked, bringing her fingertips behind his knee.

He wasn't. But he didn't just stand there either. In front of him was his dresser, so with his free hand, he opened the top drawer and removed a small article of clothing. He whistled once, hoping it would get Rico's attention. Harvey glanced behind him to see that Rico's ears had perked up. He flashed the article and smiled when Rico's tongue dropped out of his mouth and began to pant. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the sock onto Joey's head.

Joey saw the sock when he pulled it from the drawer, then saw the big ball of white fur launch his way toward her. She had little time to react. Catching the big dog with an oof, she fell back to the floor only a little dazed. Rico, on the other hand, pulled his prize from the top of her head and trotted out of the bedroom with it.

"You win," Joey said, raising her hand and making the motion of waving a flag. "I surrender."

Harvey just laughed as he turned around to see Joey sprawled on the floor as Rico trotted away. "That was the best sock I ever had too," he said with a grin before reaching out with a hand to help her up.

She accepted his hand, but instead of letting him pull her up, she pulled him down. "Mwahahaha! I will never surrender. Prepare to be boarded!" Joey cried.

Harvey yelped as he was yanked downward, though that quickly gave way to a smile as he found himself underneath her. That smile didn't last long as reinforcements arrived. Pequeno took the lead, starting to lick Harvey on the cheek. "Pequeno!" he shouted.

Joey laughed and grabbed his hands, pinning them above his head. She watched as little Pequeno began to get super excited while licking his face. So much that his little tail was wagging so fast Joey thought he'd take off. "Rico! Kisses!" She shouted.

In the living room, Rico dropped his sock on the floor and raised his head. He made his way into the bedroom once more and saw what was happening, then gave a bark. With his tail wagging, he started in with an onslaught of kisses to Not the Mama.

"What!? No!" Harvey exclaimed as he was assaulted in multiple directions. Joey's grip was certainly firm, and Harvey found it really difficult to struggle. Still, he was able to move his hips enough in a futile attempt to shake Joey off of him in a poorly executed effort to escape.

Unable to help herself, Joey started to laugh when he began to try to buck her off of him. She gave her thighs a squeeze to hold on better, then gave a command in German that had Rico settling back on his haunches. A command in Spanish followed shortly after, and Pequeno did the same. "Do you give up, or do you want more?" She asked, grinning down at him.

Harvey had to take a few moments to breathe and calm down from the incessant licking. He glanced at both mutts who quickly yielded to Joey's commands. "You'll have..." he managed to speak in between heavy breaths, "to teach... me that." He sighed and smiled. "I surrender," he said. "This time."

Now, it was her turn. She leaned down to kiss him, then raised her head as her dark hair fell around them like a curtain. "I'll teach you," she said, going in for a second kiss. "I'm not so sure I want to let you up just yet, though." Though, she did let his hands go, placing hers on either side of his head, then loosened her legs.

"Who said anything about getting up?" Harvey asked. Now that he was free, he wrapped his arms around her, just about the waist, and held her close to him as he returned the kiss.

Rico and Pequeno saw that as their opportunity to escape. There was a sock with the older dog's name on it while the smaller dog pounced on the old uniform pants that once belonged to Harvey. With all of his violent attacks, the pup had reduced them to rags, but it seemed to be his favorite thing to play with.

Joey smiled down at him. "Did you have fun today?"

"I did," Harvey honestly replied. "Of course, now that I know that having half a hog gives you this much power..." His smile grew a bit, thinking now that he probably shouldn't finish that statement.

She smiled. "I'm glad you did. I had a lot of fun, too. This was definitely the best birthday I've had in a long time," Joey said, straightening up again to look down at him. "The cake, though... it bested me. I'll have my revenge one of these days."

"I have a feeling the only way you could have that revenge," Harvey said, adjusting his gaze so he could see her face as she straightened up, "is if you had more places to put it, or something inside it that would eat it for you." Both of which were incredible thoughts to say the least, though he was speaking more as his old teal-collared self and not a four-pipped leader.

"And what would Doctor Geisler suggest?" She found herself asking.

He blinked as it was the first time he'd heard himself addressed as "Doctor" for the first time in years. Brushing it off, he replied, "The Doctor is out right now," he said. "Otherwise, I'd have to warn you of the impending sugar crash." To be honest, he was surprised that hadn't happened yet.

Joey leaned down to kiss him, then got to her feet before extending a hand to help him up. She still had a little energy, but there was little doubt she was going to sleep like someone clubbed her over the head. "It makes me sad that the day has to end already, but we should probably crawl into bed and get some sleep. Tomorrow... it's back to reality," she said.

With her help, Harvey was able to return to his feet. "Tomorrow is coming quickly, but the night is still young," he countered. "Let's end the night on a high note," he told her before pulling her close once more to deliver a kiss. "Happy birthday, Joey."

Joey slipped her arms around his waist and returned the kiss with a smile. "Thank you, Harvey. You helped make today pretty amazing," she said as the wheels in her head began to turn. She was going to make his birthday just as special as hers had been, and there was plenty of time for her to come up with something pretty spectacular.

He still didn't take any credit. After all, it was Mila who had done all of the planning. There was, however, no point in debating it, so he didn't. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Shall we call it a night?"

"I think so," she said, making quick work of changing her clothes before she crawled onto the bed. With Rico and Pequeno in the living room, that meant more space for them, and she wasn't going to argue with that. She settled down on the bed and slipped under the covers. After getting comfortable on her side, she tucked an arm under her head and waited for him to join her.

He didn't have any changing to do, having changed out of his wet clothes after returning to the cabin. Instead, Harvey checked the main room, put away anything he didn't want Pequeno to get a hold of in the middle of the night before joining Joey in bed. "Dogs are out. I think they really enjoyed today."

"They ran around a lot today," she said, smiling when he joined her in bed. "I think everyone had fun, and that was just what was needed." She left it at that, not wanting to say anything more about what they would face in the coming days.

"I love you, Harvey," Joey said, leaning forward to kiss him. Like he said... the night was still young, and while she was quite tempted to prevent him from going to sleep a bit longer, she stayed where she was. He deserved to sleep after the big day they had. "Goodnight, sweetheart." With that, she rolled over and snuggled further under the covers just before closing her eyes.

"I love you too, honey," Harvey said, settling in under the covers. As much as he wished this night could continue, he found his mind drifting back to the reports he was reading before. There was still much to do, but at least the finish line was in sight. And, after that, many more wonderful nights would follow. He sighed as he closed his eyes. All in good time.

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