Are We Okay?

Posted on Fri Sep 24th, 2021 @ 4:08pm by Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*) & Johnathan Anderson Junior

Mission: Ishimura
Location: USS Ishimura
Timeline: 2343
1062 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

It had been nearly a week since Johnathan had returned from the covert mission, and yet, Cassie had not come to speak to him like she said she would. Everyday, he woke up hoping that she'd come back. And every night when he went to bed, and she hadn't, he felt his heart break more and more.

One morning, he was in the officer's mess, having breakfast, reading a few reports, though not really retaining the information provided. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Cassie enter the compartment, talking to Ensign Lydel, from biosciences. He almost waved his hand, like he used to do. However, he stopped the urge and looked back down at his breakfast and his reports. If she hadn't spoken to him yet, why would she now?

The young woman glanced around the room and spotted him watching her and nodded at him across the room as she set about retrieving her food. Coming over she stood in front of him. "Mind if I sit here?" She wondered already putting her tray down and swinging herself to sit in the chair. She could have sat anywhere as the Mess hall was half empty but she had chose to come over.

Suprised, he looked up, the corners of his lips twitched into a hopeful grin, then quickly vanished when he told himself not to hope for anything. "Hey," he said softly. "Sure, please." He collected the messy pile of reports and made sure she had plenty of room. "How, uh, how've you been?" He didn't mention that he felt hurt that she hadn't come talk to him earlier. Mostly, because he felt he had no rights when it came to them. If there even was a them anymore.

Shaking his head slightly, he tried to lock down his self doubts and feelings of worthlessness and tried to give her a weak smile, as he had trouble bringing his eyes to her beautiful eyes. Eyes that he could easily and willingly fall into and lose himself.

“Busy.” She admitted with a shrug as she ignored the looks from the table that she had been planning on joining. She took a deep sip of the coffee that she had developed a habit of drinking since returning from Vulcan. “Like more busy than I have been in a long time. We are investigating a strange genetic…” she paused. “You do not need to know that just that I’ve been busy.” She mused.

Johnathen caught the looks from the other table. "It's nice that you seem to have made more friends while I was gone." He felt a slight negative pressure in his chest when he mentioned his absence. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "It kills me that my sudden departure hurt you."

“Well I could not stay on the outside forever.” She said slowly. It had not been easy to get among the crew but she had to do something to regain some of her composure after the ghosts took over the Captain, Jameson and Carter.

"Still," the young pilot replied. "It is still nice to see." He was feeling unsure about things. "S-so, what happens now? I mean....with...with us?" He shrugged uncomfortably. "Is...is there still an us?"

"I do not know Nath." The woman started pushing a lock of hair out of her hair before she remembered that she had not put it up yet. Pulling out a hairband she tied it back out of the way before she carried on. "Let's take it slow and see where it goes." She did not want to rush anything, she had fallen hard and fast for him and it had caused nothing but issues between her marriage and returning to get her commission.

Nodded slowly, Johnathen replied. "O-okay. We will go at whatever speed you are comfortable with." He spoke honestly, even though a part of his mind was screaming at him, saying that he had ruined things when he left, it didn't matter that he had had no choice. She had clearly moved on and he should just shut up, stay out of her way and wait for his next reassignment. It has been a fluke that he had convinced her to like, then love him. He didn't deserve her, nor would he ever.

Shaking his head slightly, he gave her a shy smile.

"A lot had gone on and still going on. Things are not the same." She reminded him not knowing if he had any inkling of anything that had gone on in the last six months or so. They had lurched from one thing to another. "Patience is a virtue that I need from you whilst I figure stuff out." She explained with her own small smile.

Looking fully into her eyes finally, he replied earnestly and honestly. "For you, I would do anything. I hope you know that, Cass. I have always loved you, and will always love you. I'm not going anywhere."

The woman nodded as she sipped on her coffee. “You might not. But I need to think about heading in shift. I overslept.” She admitted looking at the chronometer on the wall and the food she had not eat yet.

"May we have dinner tonight? So we can talk?" He didn't want to, wouldn't, rush her, but he wanted to be in her presence as much as she would allow.

“As long as the experiments go okay, I should be about before twenty hundred hours.” She revealed between mouthfuls of porridge as she could see the rest of her team out of the corner of her eye getting up to leave. None of them commented or came over but she knew she would be questioned throughout the day.

Nodding, a soft smile crossed his face. "Okay!" He replied quietly. "Would you like to eat and talk in private, or here in the officer's mess?"

The woman swallowed the last few mouthfuls before looking at him. “Mess will be fine. Just encase I am late. No one needs to cook or worry.” It was a logical route to her.

"Okay," he replied with a grin. "I'll see you here tonight, then. Have a good day in the lab!"

Cassie nodded and gathered the trays together to put back into the replicator. “Tonight. Twenty hundred. I’ll be there.” She promised.