Fancy Seeing You Here

Posted on 21 Oct 2016 @ 5:55am by Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

3,396 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Click Three Times
Location: Deck Two
Timeline: MD 8 || 2100 Hours

Joey stepped off of the turbolift farthest from her new home with a crate in her arms. Down on deck five, it made sense considering it was the turbolift closest to her old quarters, but now it didn't seem as logical. But, no matter which was she went, she'd end up walking the same distance. The load she carried wasn't the heaviest, but it wasn't exactly light, either. This one was packed with things for Rico and Pequeno, things she knew they wouldn't be able to live without. Toys, food, treats, just to name a few. It was no secret Rico, and her newly acquired pup, were spoiled rotten, but she didn't see a problem with that.

She stopped about halfway down the corridor and set the crate down, flexing her fingers to try to get the feeling back in them. Who would have thought moving would be such a chore? Thankfully, this was the last load she was bringing up here for a while, then the rest would be tucked away in one of the cargo bays where they'd stay until she was ready to start introducing more things. There was a reason for that, and that was so Harvey wouldn't be overwhelmed by too much change too fast. Taking things slow was key even if certain areas had been clearly kicked into overdrive.

Camila sighed as she sat in her quarters and looked at the half empty bottle of Bajoran ale that sat beside the terminal in front of her. A half composed message was on the screen and the recipient was someone who wouldn't get it even if she did decide to send it immediately. She reached for the bottle and took another deep drink of it before she set it aside, saved the message and got up. Sitting around by herself in her quarters slowly getting drunk and feeling sorry and lonely wasn't how she wanted to spend her last day or two before the Black Hawk found the space station that Captain Geisler had mentioned.

She got up and decided to get her shoes on to head to the gym to help clear her mind or at least give her something mind numbing to forget everything for a while. She wore a pair of black pants and a white shirt that said "Live, Laugh and Love" on it in a flowery script as she put her shoes on and headed out of her quarters. With another sigh as she looked around the empty quarters, the honey blonde acting XO left and nearly tripped over a crate that was in the corridor.

"Who would leave a...." Camila started to ask before she saw Joey near it. "Lieutenant," she said with a nod to her acting Chief of Security. "That's not exactly a good place to put a box."

Joey reached out to grab Camila's arm to help steady her. She would have felt like a royal ass if the acting XO had fallen because of her placing the crate on the floor. In her defense, though, it was closer to the bulkhead than it was to the middle of the corridor. "Sorry," she said with a frown, scooting it until it was against the wall. "It's a bit heavy, and I needed to take a break. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Camila said with another sigh. "I was just thinking about going to the gym, but if I'm nearly tripping over boxes and not watching where I'm going, maybe that isn't the best idea that I've had. I've also had a few drinks and that doesn't usually mix with working out either. I just don't know what to do..."

"If you've been drinking, that might not be the best idea. Not only that, but you're not even twenty-four hours out of sickbay for a collapsed lung. You're not supposed to be over-exerting yourself. I understand duty, but now we're stepping into voluntarily over-doing things. I know you didn't ask for my opinion on that, but I'm going to give it to you as a friend. Going to the gym is looking for trouble you don't need right now," Joey pointed out.

"Has it been that short a time?" Camila asked. "I saw Doctor Abrams and he recommended Jestral Tea to drink to calm me down, but I just have too much on my mind." She cast a glance at room zero two zero eight and sighed. "I'm worried and I hate being alone. It gives me too much time to think and the next thing I know, I'll be curled up inside of a bottle to forget everything and I just can't do that right now."

"It has been. If Doctor Abrams recommended the tea, you should try it. Come on, let's go to your place, and I'll make you a cup. I've got a little time before I'm missed, and I have no problems helping out a friend that obviously needs it." the brunette woman said, bending down to pick the crate back up.

Camila sighed. "If you insist," she said as she turned to open her door again. "Sorry about the state of my place, but I haven't spent much time in here." The couch was at an angle after the fight and multiple shake ups, the coffee table had been broken and pushed into a corner and everything seemed to be sitting wherever it would fit and gave more of a sense of disorder to the woman's quarters.

Joey set the crate down and moved over to the replicator to request the tea. "My quarters didn't fare so well, either, so I understand. I didn't lose much, but something really important to me broke when gravity went out on deck five. If you need help cleaning this up, I'll help you." Once the tea appeared, she grabbed it and brought it over to Camila. "This should help you."

"I'll get it, but thanks," Camila said as she accepted the tea. "I'm really just worried about Temerant and I've been working myself around the clock since the Cochrane got taken so I don't have to worry so much. Every time I stop, though, I start thinking about him again."

Joey placed a hand on Camila's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I know things seem rather hopeless right now, but we're going to get him and everyone else back. I promise."

She took a sip of the tea and grimaced. "Are you sure that beer or maybe a good hard liquor wouldn't be better than this?" she asked as she did her best to avoid the hopeless feeling that Joey described pretty accurately.

"If Doctor Abrams said this tea would work best, then that's what you're going to work with," the brunette woman said, looking toward Camila. "He knows what he's talking about even if I do want to kick him in his enormous shin."

"I know," Camila said as she took another sip of the tea. "He was close to reading me the riot act when I was in there, too. Security's a dangerous job and we get hurt more than any other department, and we're expected to get back up and do it again."

"It is a dangerous job, and it's not for everyone," Joey said. "It takes a special person to do what we do, you know."

"Or really stupid ones who don't know when to stay down," Camila said with a laugh. "I know this one guy at the Academy. Oi. He could take a beating like no tomorrow and get right back up, but ask him to read a tricorder and he looked as blank as a wall."

"There's one of those in every class, I think," Joey said with a smile. "Or there are the ones like me. Staying out well past curfew and doing things they have no business doing. I drank so much one night and got caught by Admiral Farragut when I attempted to sneak back in. That wasn't a pretty, especially considering I threw up on his shoes."

Camila blinked. "You...you're the one who threw up on Iron Thighs shoes?" she asked before she started laughing and nearly spilled her tea.

Joey grinned. "That was me. I owe my entire career to that man, and to this day, I still keep in touch with him. It's been a while since I've been able to talk to him, but that's going to change soon enough."

"He's kicked people out for less," Camila said before she took another drink of the tea. "How did you manage to stay in after doing something like that?"

"I guess he saw something in me that I didn't," the taller woman replied, thinking back to that night. It wasn't one of her finer moments, but it turned out to be one of the better things she'd ever done. That very moment changed her entire life for the better. "I didn't think anyone heard about that incident. Not that I really mind."

"He always used the analogy of a unnamed cadet who soiled his shoes and how he gave the person a second chance," Camila said. "Then he'd promptly tell us that those days were over and that if any of us thought about getting drunk and doing that to him, we'd be searching for a new career. What made you special?"

"Like I said... I guess he saw something in me that I didn't. My junior year, I used to go walk the docks when I needed to clear my head. One night... I was walking around, and I'd happened to hear people talking, and two of them didn't sound at all happy. I found a place to hide and watched. It turned out that Admiral Farragut was being held at phaser point by two different individuals. He'd saved my career, so I had to do something to save him," Joey began, going into more detail as she told the story. "He's how I came to be a Close Protection Officer. It was Admiral Farragut's personal recommendation that got me into the program."

"I didn't even hear about that," Camila said as she finished her tea. "Then again, something like that wouldn't be well known or gossiped about. You spent all these past years in Close Protection because of him?"

"He was a big part of the reason why I was a CPO for so many years," the brunette woman replied. "I don't know... it kind of felt like he had faith in me and what I was capable of. No one outside of my family ever really did anything like that."

"Now you have a bigger family and one that will always stick by you," Camila pointed out. "Just like you're here now helping me, there will always be someone there to help you when you need it. After the Consortium business on the ship was over, everyone was paranoid of everyone for some time and no one walked alone anywhere. It drew us closer together and made us more aware that we need each other."

"In space... all we have is each other, and as soon as we're able to gain access to the wormhole, we'll have our families as well. " Joey pointed out. "As for helping you, I told you I'd be here to do that, and I meant every word of it. If you need me for anything, I'll only be a few doors down now."

"A few doors down?" Camila asked, having fallen behind on the ship scuttlebutt. Then she thought of the crate that Joey had been carrying and the fact that she was on deck two where only senior officers roamed the corridors and what Joey had told her about seeing the Captain and it dawned on her. "You're moving in with the Captain?"

There was little sense in not telling Camila about her move simply because she'd notice her coming and going on deck two when it was designed for senior officers only. While she was presently a senior officer, it didn't come with the perks of living among the officers on deck two. "Yes," she replied with a smile.

Camila smiled. "I'm happy for you, Joey," she said. "Really. He needs someone solid in his life and you're one of the most solid people that I know. I think you'll do him a lot of good and that he'll be a new man before anyone knows it." She thought of Temerant and his last words to her before he went to the Cochrane and a sad look came into her eyes before she looked at her empty mug of tea.

"Thank you, Camila. I hope I can be what he needs," Joey said as she moved over to the replicator to get another cup of tea, then brought it to the newly appointed acting XO. When she saw that look on Camila's face, she immediately knew what crossed her mind. It was likely the same thing she'd be thinking if Harvey were in Temerant's position. "Camila... we're going to get them back, I promise you that. Take it from the insane woman who voluntarily went onto a ship full of people that wanted to kill her without question. If I was willing to do that, then imagine what I'd be willing to do to get back our own."

"I know, but...there's more to it than just that and I appreciate what you've done and are willing to do, Joey," Camila said as she accepted the tea. She took a sip and set it aside, then looked at her. "Before he left, he came to see me when I was in sickbay. We talked for a bit and before he left, he told me that he loved me. I didn't respond because I was a bit shocked...and now I may never get the chance to tell him the same."

The taller woman reached out to take Camila's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You told me about that this morning when I came to see you in sickbay this morning. You mentioned to me that you weren't sure if you felt the same way, but it seems to me that you've gotten your answer now. You're going to get the chance to tell him, Camila. Things seem dismal now, but he'll be back before you know it. Keep the faith, and trust in those who are going to do everything the can to see it becomes a reality."

"Was that just this morning?" Camila asked and decided to try to side step that topic. "I'm sorry. I've been all over the ship since then and talked to so many people that I had to backtrack because of things I forgot to add. It seems like everything's been a blur since the battle with the Cochrane and Chimera. Maybe I hit my head and knocked something loose that Medical didn't pick up in their scans."

"Everything has been a blur since our battle with them," Joey said. "I don't think you hit your head and knocked anything loose, though. Scans definitely would have picked up on that. I think that you're still recovering, and have been running yourself ragged, which is finally starting to catch up to you. Come on..." She reached for the cup of tea and extended a hand in her friend's direction. "I think it's time for you to lay down and get some much needed rest. Please, don't protest, either. You need this."

"Are you actually planning to tuck me in, Joey?" Camila asked with some amusement even as she came to her feet after taking Joey's hand.

"Well, I wasn't going to call it 'tucking in', but I suppose I am," Joey answered with a laugh as she helped Camila back to her bedroom. "I'm doing what friends are supposed to do, and that's being there when another friend is in need."

"Thank you, Joey," Camila said warmly as she headed back to her bedroom with the taller woman. "Do you do the same thing with the Captain?" she asked, a bit curious and feeling as if she could ask a question like that of her friend.

"You're more than welcome," she said, setting the tea cup on the nightstand with a smile. Joey didn't even flinch at the question about tucking Harvey into bed. "I've never actually tucked him into bed before, but I have helped him relax so he'd be able to sleep. And not in the way some might automatically think when they hear something like that."

"I don't assume anything," Camila told her as she sat on the bed. "I'm glad that you're able to help him relax with everything that's been going on. It can't be easy being the Captain and responsible for so many people and yet be able to relax enough to sleep at the end of the day."

Joey crouched down to pull Camila's shoes off, then set them aside where they were out of the way. "It's not easy, that's for sure. His mind is constantly thinking about what's going on around him, and sadly, there is no off switch," she said softly. "We've been battered constantly by one thing after another, and he's coping the best way he can given the circumstances. He's a strong man... much stronger than I think most would be if they were in his situation, and that's just one of many reasons why I love him."

"You didn't have to take my shoes off, Joey." Camila smiled. "You sound like it, too," she said. "I hope he feels the same about you."

"I know I didn't, but I did tell you I would help you out while you're supposed to be recovering, and I meant it," the Lieutenant said with a smile, then gave a half shrug at Camila's last comment. "I know that he cares about me quite a bit, but I don't think he's in love with me. That's okay, though. I don't want to force him or what we have together."

"These things happen regardless of how the other person feels," Camila said as she removed her combadge and set it on her nightstand. "As I once told the Captain, happiness is the important thing."

"You're right, and I am happy. I hope he's happy, too, just as I hope you and Temerant are," Joey said as she pulled the covers back on the bed. "Time will tell for me and Harvey, though. I'm not forcing him into anything, though. I'm leaving that ball in his court."

"Good," Camila said. "It's never good to force anything, but you have a way with people, Joey. I wouldn't have trusted you to be my Chief of Security if I didn't. Now, go be with your man and I'll get some sleep. I think I can undress myself and finish getting in bed."

"I'm just a combadge away if you need me for anything, but you know that," the taller of the two women said with a smile, pressing a kiss to the top of Camila's head. "I'll check in on you in the morning before our shifts start."

"I'll see you for the target practice if we don't see each other before that," Camila said. "Goodnight, Joey and thanks for everything."

"Goodnight, Camila, and you're welcome. I'll always be here if you need me. That's what friends are for," she said with a smile, then made her way out of the bedroom to grab the crate she'd been carrying. Joey hoped Camila would be able to sleep, and if the tea actually did it's job, then she would. With the crate in hand, she made her way out, then made her way to her knew home where Harvey, Rico and Pequeno were waiting for her.

After Joey left, Camila got undressed for bed and crawled under her covers to close her eyes. She didn't know if sleep would come easily or if it would be difficult, but she did know that with friends like Joey, things would be a little easier. She thought of Temerant and even though neither of them were Betazoid, she tried to project her thoughts that they were coming for him and the love she was feeling for him.

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