Fun In The Sun

Posted on 05 Apr 2017 @ 12:08am by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Commodore Harvey Geisler
Edited on on 05 Apr 2017 @ 1:00pm

4,178 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Timeline: September 2388

They'd been back on Earth for a week now, and things were going better than she could have ever imagined they would. Her parents and grandmother had gotten to meet Harvey, and not only did they approve of him, but they genuinely liked him. Her grandmother had even assured her that her grandfather would have adored the Starfleet Captain. That brought happy tears to her eyes, and touched her in a way she couldn't even put to words.

Her parents had even been holding back a huge surprise for her. That surprise came in the form of a six month old baby brother they'd named Noah Keona Corwin. Joey was smitten with the little guy the second she met him, and couldn't find it in her heart to be upset about not knowing of his existence sooner. After all, there were circumstances in place that none of them could control, but knowing she wasn't an only child any longer made her even happier than she already was.

Things were pretty amazing lately, and she still couldn't believe she was lucky enough to be living the life that she was. While some things for her were up in the air... like her career... other things were smooth sailing. The ability to relax, let down her hair, and be with those she loved was exactly what she needed, though, she was still having a hard time with the fact that she nearly died and left all of this behind. It was still something she had a hard time talking about, too, but that didn't stop her from trying when her mother and grandmother cornered her.

Now wasn't the time to focus on that. She'd done quite a bit with Harvey during the last week in her home state. Things she'd done many times growing up, but it always felt like the first time again. They'd done things like hiking the lush jungle-like trails, snorkeling, cliff diving at the real Wailua Falls, and even taking a shuttle tour of the long dormant volcanoes Hawaii was known for. Things just didn't get any better, and there were still so many things she wanted to do with him, but there just didn't seem to be enough time. All that meant was they'd have to make another trip sometime in the future.

Now, she was running down the beach in a black bikini with Rico and Pequeno in tow, laughing each time one of them jumped up to try to grab the ball she held in her hand. She tossed it toward the water, watching as they raced into the surf to retrieve it. Instead of bringing it back to her like she expected them to, the two canines began to play with one another. Joey couldn't blame them, though. The water was definitely too good to pass up.

Of course, so was the blanket laid out on the sand with a picnic basket settled on it. She smiled and turned her face toward the sky, basking in the sun for a moment. Next to the blanket sticking in the sand were two surfboards, both blue, only hers was a bit lighter than the one she'd gotten for Harvey. She'd use hers soon enough, but for now, there was someone else who deserved her attention.

Harvey sat beside Joey, his posture cross-legged. To him, it all seemed surreal. Just a few weeks ago, he was sitting in his chair on his bridge, tightening his grip on the Captain's chair as the ship suffered blast after blast from the Chimera, Cochrane and a Valdore. He'd never sit in that particular chair again, but there was a part of him that still longed for one more go.

The last couple of weeks, however, had been a whirlwind. Round after round of interviews at the order of Starfleet, including a not-so-comfortable meeting with Admiral Griffin. Resupplying and restaffing the Gamma Quadrant wasn't going to be an easy task, but with a surplus of crew and no starships to put them on, Harvey found himself eager to take leave for the first time in his life.

In fact, as he sat on the blanket on the beautiful beach, Harvey found himself engrossed in a book, The Red Badge of Courage to be precise. The story had always appealed to him, a soldier who fled in the heat of battle. Eventually he returned to face his shame only to find himself back in battle leading his fellow soldiers to victory in the midst of sudden death. Though he'd never really read it all the way through, Harvey could not help but draw parallels to his own life.

Of course, even though Joey now joined him on the blanket, he did not notice the warning sign that his one moment of solitude was about to be interrupted. He had enjoyed their journey thus far. Joey's family was quite lively and taken with him and his affection for their daughter. They had accomplished a lot together, and though the sight before him was absolutely gorgeous, he still could not take his eyes off of the book, especially now that he was near the end.

Joey couldn't bring herself to interrupt him while he was reading, so instead of bugging him, she reached for her tanning lotion and began reapplying. All the time she'd spent in space meant her natural tan had faded quite a bit, but she planned to fix that. She couldn't help but steal a glance in his direction as he read, a smile forming on her lips. Despite everything that happened, she liked seeing him so relaxed.

She enjoyed their start to leave, and couldn't wait for the next leg of their journey. Soon, they'd be visiting his family, and Joey had to admit... she was terrified. While her own family seemed to adore him, that didn't mean his would like her at all. Joey found herself shaking those thoughts out of her her and settled back on the blanket to let the sun wash over her skin. While he enjoyed his book, she planned to enjoy the sun while their dogs played together in the surf.

It rained. Harvey adjusted his posture as he began the final entry in the book. He'd just read how Henry Fleming, still striving to overcome his shame, picks up the flag from the color-bearer and led a charge into Confederate lines. Amazingly, the private escaped all enemy fire and the remainder of his regiment took the enemy position. The Confederate troops that remained surrendered due his bravery.

The procession of weary soldiers became a bedraggled train, despondent and muttering, marching with churning effort in a trough of liquid brown mud under a low, wretched sky. Yet the youth smiled, for he saw that the world was a world for him, though many discovered it to be made of oaths and walking sticks. He had rid himself of the red sickness of battle. The sultry nightmare was in the past. He had been an animal blistered and sweating in the heat and pain of war. He turned now with a lover's thirst to images of tranquil skies, fresh meadows, cool brooks, an existence of soft and eternal peace.

Over the river a golden ray of sun came through the hosts of leaden rain clouds.

Harvey smiled, closing the hardcover book at last. His eyes wandered up first to the ocean, halfway expecting to find Joey among the waves. Both surfboards remained upright in the sand, and there wasn't a sight of a single soul in the distance.

Thankfully, he didn't have to look far for Joey. They'd been on the beach before, but he couldn't help but notice her bright skin be amplified and glisten thanks to what appeared to be a fresh coat of lotion. "Beautiful day," he said, setting the book down beside him.

"It certainly is," Joey agreed, looking over to him with a smile. The last week had been so relaxing, she almost wished it would never come to an end, but sooner than later, reassignments would be catching up to them. There was a big fear they wouldn't get to serve together once that happened, but she still didn't know if she was going to go back to go back as a Security officer.

Joey mentally shook those thoughts from her head, too, and focused on the man next to her. Even when reading, he was quite the distraction. "Have you ever been buried in the sand before? Or built a sand castle?" If she had to guess, the answer to both of those was a definite no.

Her guess would have been correct, something Harvey confirmed with an immediate shake of his head. "Only been to the beach once in my life, and that was just to swim outside San Francisco. Not much room there to build or bury, not that it's in the mind of a career-minded cadet."

"You should experience building a sand castle at least once in your life, but I don't have anything with us to do that. You know what that means, don't you?" Joey asked him with a grin.

"Computer!" Harvey called out with a smile. "We need tools to make a sand castle." As expected, he heard no reply. This was, after all, the real deal, not images projected onto walls and water contained by forcefields. "It means that we're not in Kansas anymore," he told Joey, still smiling.

Joey couldn't help but laugh at that. While he was able to crack a joke, she knew the loss of then Black Hawk still plagued him. She was doing everything she could to keep his mind off things, but didn't know how good of a job it was. "No, we're not in Kansas anymore," she said, leaning in to kiss him. "How about we put our boards to use and try surfing in the real ocean? The waves here are smaller, so it's perfect for practicing."

Anything to put off the thought of going to visit his parents was fine with him. They had an appointment at the local transport station in about three hours to be beamed from Hawai'i to Denver, Colorado. They'd go from sea level to more than a mile above it. The change in air pressure was going to be enough to do him in.

If they'd put it off for another day, he was fine with that. "Sounds good to me," he said, pushing himself to his feet and reaching down to help up his sunbathing girlfriend.

Joey took his hands and rose to her feet. "We might be able to squeeze in an hour of surfing before we have to start getting ready to leave," she said, wishing they had just one more day with her own family, however, she wasn't that selfish. "Do you think your family will like me?" She found herself asking as she grabbed the lighter blue colored surfboard from the sand. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified. Put me in a ship of one hundred and fifty people... no big deal. Put me in front of my boyfriend's parents... and I feel like I'll start hyperventilating."

He wasn't sure how to answer that. The last time he spoke to his parents was just a few months ago when he accepted command of the Black Hawk. They were neither pleased or disappointed. He could only imagine how this would go, especially since he still had a sibling in prison. "You'll do fine," he told her, intentionally not answering the question with a desirable answer.

You'll do fine. Joey repeated mentally. It wasn't the answer she was hoping for, but let her know he was unsure of the answer himself. Harvey didn't talk about his family much, and she didn't press. Meeting them was sure to be an experience, though. "You know I won't be anyone but myself," she said, tucking her board under her arm. Most people seemed to like her, but not everyone did, and that was okay. "If I make things tense..." She left the rest of that unsaid.

"Trust me," Harvey said, picking up his board and leading the way into the ocean. "There is no human way to make things more tense with my parents. If anything, we'll have each other and that will be plenty."

"Then, let's not focus on that for now. For now, we have fun and see how you handle yourself. If it's anything like the first time, I still think you'll be a pro at it in no time," she said, walking out into the water.

Rico spotted her and gave a bark, then ran toward her, swimming out the rest of the way when he couldn't reach the ground any longer. Pequeno was right behind him, but the aid of a life jacket designed for dogs kept him from going under. The second the elder dog saw the board flat on the water, he climbed onto it and stood at the front of it.

Joey grinned and grabbed the handle of the pup's jacket and placed him on the board with Rico. "I think you're about to see a first. Rico surfs with me. Pequeno will learn to in time."

Harvey chuckled at the young pup, inspired by Pequeno's childlike bravery and innocence. He laid his board flat on the water and laid down on top of it to swim out towards the waves. It wasn't long before a sizable wave came towards the shore. Harvey did his best to remember his first lesson from all those weeks ago. He positioned himself along the wave and before long he was standing on the board, riding the crest of the wave as it continued towards the shore. The experience was short lived as the wave wasn't a strong one. It quickly disappeared, leaving Harvey to sit down on the board and look back towards Joey, a bit disappointed by the experience.

Joey could tell that Harvey was a bit disappointed, and opened her mouth to ask the computer to increase wave strength, but quickly remembered they weren't on the ship any longer. She sat on her board with Rico settled at the front of it while Pequeno opted to be closer to her. The little guy was still leery of what was going on, but he trusted his human. "They do have some stronger waves, but you should still be proud of yourself for that. The smaller ones are good practice for balance."

She found herself gesturing for him for paddle back her way. "I have a confession to make. I chose this spot purposely. Last time we were in the holodeck doing this, the safeties were on to prevent injury. Out here... we don't have that. Maybe I'm being overly cautious and paranoid, but I definitely don't want you to get hurt because of me."

He could only smile and shake his head. Harvey thought about protesting, knowing that he'd been in greater danger aboard the Black Hawk in the last couple of months, but now was not the time. "Then I shall have to make the most of this opportunity," he told her, "for after we visit my parents."

"You'll have another chance after that, too," she said, turning to see a slightly bigger wave coming their way. Joey grinned and jumped to her feet. Rico knew what was about to happen the second she was up and began to wag his tail as he rose to his own feet. Pequeno, on the other hand, wobbled a bit and chose that laying down was the best course of action for him.

She shifted her weight on the board and turned into the wave, moving the board toward it, then evened herself out to ride it properly. There was a little more force to this one, driving her and the two canines toward the shore. When she lost momentum, she jumped into the water and quickly grabbed the little pup before he could roll into the ocean. "Things will be okay. I believe they will be."

A hearty laugh escaped his mouth, watching the little Pequeno do his best with the waves. "Those two really don't know fear, do they?" he asked. Calming down, he confirmed, "Yeah. Everything will be all right." He had no idea what the future held, but at least he didn't have to think about it.

"Rico doesn't because he's seen and been through quite a bit in his life. Pequeno... he doesn't know any better," Joey said, settling the little guy back onto the board. Since they were going to be heading into the unknown soon enough, it was time to have fun. She took a breath and disappeared under the water, heading straight for him.

He knew how this would end. Therefore, he would wait right here for her to... do whatever deed she was planning. Harvey could see her very clearly in the clear ocean water. In fact, her movements were quite hypnotic. Still, he would wait. His turn to pounce would come later.

Joey popped up out of the water and hoisted herself onto his with him with a grin. Her own board with the two dogs was still tethered to her ankle, so they weren't too far away. She did think about dumping him off of his own board for a brief second, but instead, she found herself leaning forward to kiss him.

Pequeno gave a bark and danced around, then walked straight off the side of the board and into the water. He was only under form a split second before he popped back up and began to paddle the short distance toward them.

Harvey kissed her in return, finding himself enjoying the moment more than any other he'd experienced with her in the last few weeks. He could hear Pequeno's playful yipping as he paddled towards them. "I think I'm going to be in trouble," he told her.

"Why do you think that?" Joey asked, reaching down to scoop the puppy up when he got close to them. Pequeno wiggled a bit in his excitement and laid down a barrage of kisses to Harvey's chin. She laughed. "Full on puppy assault."

Harvey mock-yelped in surprise, taking care to scoop up the little dog in preparation for his own action. "Because of this." In a heartbeat, he tightened his legs around the bottom of the board and threw all his weight to the left, overturning the board and removing everyone who was on it.

Joey let out a surprised sound and took a breath, then held it before she hit the water. Of course, the tether around her ankle ended up yanking her own board and knocked poor Rico into the water. She came to the surface and took a breath, looking around for the rest of them. She spotted a disgruntled looking Rico paddling back toward shore, so that left Harvey and Pequeno.

"Gotcha!" Harvey shouted, embracing her from behind. He'd been holding Pequeno above water with his left hand, and as he embraced Joey, the little pup was thrust in front of her and he all so eagerly shared some of his puppy love with her, lathering her face with little kisses.

Joey laughed and turned her face from side to side. "Oh, I'm going to get you now," she said still laughing, then plucked the now soaked little ball of fur out of his hand before saying something in Spanish. She let him go and watched him paddle toward shore since they weren't too far out, then turned to face Harvey with a grin. "Now... what to do?"

"Continue surfing?" he joked, keeping an eye on little Pequeno as he swam away. He was alone out here with her now. Without his cohorts in crime, he wouldn't get too far in any effort here.

"That would be way too easy," she said with a smile, grabbing the cord attached to her ankle and pulling her board toward it. She hoisted herself onto it and settled down, letting her legs dangle in the water. "But, I'm okay with it. I'll get you back, though. Maybe there's another pillow fight in your future."

"I look forward to it," Harvey said with a smile, pulling himself on top of it. "I have a feeling this is going to be our life now, constantly trying to get back at the other. At least it's in jest and not because we've wronged the other." He spotted a wave beginning the crest in the distance, one larger than he'd previously attempted. It looked like a perfect one to try out.

"If anything like wronging the other happens, we need to talk about it before anything bad can happen. Somehow, though, I just don't see that happening. Oh, you can bet your sweet backside that life will never be boring while you're with me. I plan to keep you on your toes and young for a long time to come," Joey said, smiling at him just before she looked toward the wave coming their way. He needed motivation. "For every second you stay up, I'll give you a kiss. Now, go get it."

Harvey laughed as he laid down and swam out towards the wave. Just as before, he aligned himself with the wave. Harvey began to stand, getting used to the strength of the wave, only to stand fully erect a moment later. This wave was the most powerful among those he'd experienced so far, and that included the holodeck. Still, he fought hard to maintain his balance, paying no attention to how long he actually managed to remain upright. Eventually, he ran out of wave, so he decided just to dive into the water and rest for a moment.

Joey wore a grin a mile wide as she paddled her way out toward him. The pride she felt was quite clear on her features as she stopped herself next to him. "Look at you! You are a complete natural at this!" Unable to help herself, she sat up, and in her excitement, launched herself at him with her arms going around his neck.

He should have been prepared for that launch. Apparently after a few weeks he still wasn't used to this. Still he caught her, but was still pushed backwards a bit. "I have an excellent teacher," he confessed.

"I gave you one lesson," she said with a bright smile. Joey knew he could do just about anything if he put his mind to it, and he'd even proven that to her many times over. "This has all been you. You're a natural."

"If you say so," he replied modestly. "I'm looking forward to some real waves though. Besides, I think you're up."

"I do, and there will be bigger waves after we see your parents. I promise," she said, releasing him and grabbing her board to climb back onto it before she laid flat to paddle back out toward a wave that looked promising. Joey quickly turned and looked behind her to watch as it approached, then jumped to her feet in a crouched position. She stood before she caught her balance and wiped out, hitting the water a bit harder than she planned to.

"You all right?" Harvey shouted, starting to swim in her direction. He could feel the board dragging behind him, tethered to his ankle like some ball and chain. Surfing he could handle. Swimming with an uncomfortable ballast was another matter.

Joey grimaced. That was embarrassing. "I'm okay. Just hurt my pride," she answered, gripping her board to gather her bearings a bit. Wipeouts happened, and she knew that, but to do it in front of him was a completely different matter. "What do you say we head back and start getting ready?"

He nodded, albeit reluctantly. "The sooner, the better." In his mind, if they could only just get it over with, then it would all be better. Sliding back onto his board, and after helping Joey back onto hers, he began to swim towards the shore.

Joey followed. "Things will be okay, honey," she said in a tone meant to be reassuring. "It's been a while since you've all seen each other... maybe things will be different. No matter what, I'll be with you every step of the way."

"For that," Harvey said, reaching the shore beside her, "you have no idea how eternally thankful I will be."

As they made it to the shore, Joey set her board aside and wrapped a towel around her waist before she began to gather up their things. "I love you, Harvey," she said, tucking a few things into a beach bag before working on getting the beach blanket folded. "Just remember that no matter what happens... you, me, the dogs... we're a family. Always."

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