Never Know What You Need Untill It Falls Into Your Lap Part 4

Posted on Sat Feb 24th, 2018 @ 4:18am by Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*) & Johnathen Anderson Jr
Edited on on Sat Feb 24th, 2018 @ 5:18am

Mission: Mission 5 - Liberation
Location: McAvoy Cabin, Scotland
Timeline: Pre Ishimura - 2240
1874 words - 3.7 OF Standard Post Measure

The Sun's rays had begun to weakly shine through the small gap in the heavyweight curtains that hung in front of the windows of Cassie's bedroom. The thin shaft of light fell across the heavy comforter that covered the bed in which Johnathen was still sleeping. He lay on his stomach, on the right half of the bed, turned to his right. His right arm and shoulder were sticking out from under the heavy, multicoloured, down comforter. His right leg bent up as well. He was sleeping very peacefully, his breathing slow and methodical in its rhythm.

Cassie had barely slept. Everything kept going around and around in her head. To the point that she had been up several hours already. She slowly slipped into the bedroom wearing an old cardigan over shorts. Her bag was still in her bedroom where the man had been sleeping. She silently put down the mug of coffee on the side and moved to grab her bag to put on something that suited her instead of left her looking frumpy.

Smelling the coffee, and hearing the tink of the mug being set down, along with sleeping in a strange bed, Johnathen's eyes cracked open and he enhaled a deep, sleepy, breath through his nostrils. "Hey Cas," he said happily, as a warm smile began to fill his face. "How are you doing?"

“Morning.” Cassie fretted wrapping the cardigan around herself more. “Better. Did you get much sleep?” She wondered softly trying to sound casual.

Sitting up and swinging his feet out from under the comforter, Johnathen first yawned, then stretched a stretch that went from to top of his head down to the tips of his toes. His skin starting to get covered in goosebumps, he shivered briefly before gathering the comforter around his upper body. "Good. I'm so glad to hear that. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable...after." He referred to the bathroom and large tub. "I actually slept pretty well, thank you. Your bed is definitely more comfortable than the bunks at the Academy. He noticed the steaming mug of coffee suddenly. "Oh! Thank you!" He picked up the mug and cradled it under his nose, inhaling the rich aroma of the hot brew. "Mmmm..." He opened his eyes and smiled. "Your parents just gained so many more awesome points in my book! Do you know how difficult it is to get Denobulan rose coffee to stay fresh in a damp environment?"

The woman nodded at the door and sighed. She needed to face him after last night. "Aye, bunks aren't exactly comfortable." She murmured turning around to face him properly as she looked at him now sat up. "My mother certainly knows her caffeine. My father wouldn't drink it if it was the only drink left in the universe."

Taking a sip of the delicious brew, Johnathen looked back up at Cassie. "Well, thank you. It is delicious. Have you had breakfast yet?" He put the mug down and grabbed the pants she had loaned him. After slipping his legs in, he stood up, his bare upper torso fully exposed to the chilly morning air.

"Um no... I am not hungry." She said simply. It didn't cross her mind that she wasn't hungry due to depression or grief. "You should wrap up. It gets chilly here." She whispered quickly turning away with a blush. She didn't want to be caught blushing. "I came to get my bag. I left it here last night and all I have is my yoga clothes and my mum's caridgan."

"Well, do you mind if I make myself some breakfast?" He hoped when she smelled the food, she would change her mind. Once the pants were closed, and they fit nearly perfectly. The legs were a tad too long. He fixed that simply, by folding up the leg cuffs. Next, he grabbed the sweater and pulled it on. It was just a tad on the snug side though. Not uncomfortable or form fitting, but not totally flow either.

"That was a silly human question if I have ever heard one." She commented on as she grabbed up the bag and disappeared off. Why would she stop someone having a meal when she wasn't hungry? It made no sense at all to her but sometimes humans made no sense. She often thought it was why her father had fallen for her mother as she made no sense.

Johnathen opened his mouth to respond, but Cassie had already dissapeared. Chuckling to himself, he realized that he hadn't expressed himself properly. He had been raised to believe it was rude to simply go into someone's kitchen or pantry without getting permission first. He guessed that Vulcans didn't see things that way. It only made him more curious to find out more about Cassie. He next grabbed the socks and sat back down to slip them on.

Now fully dressed, Johnathen quickly made the bed, making sure everything was as he had found it the night before. He collected his uniform and, after folding it, placed it on the trunk. He then left Cassie's bedroom. Making his way through the house, he didn't see Cassie. He assumed that she must've been in her parent's bedroom. Moving into the kitchen, he began his search of the cabinets and pantry. He had heard that, for the most part, Vulcans were vegetarians. However, being half Human, he wondered if Cassie ate any animal products. Finding some ingredients that he was familiar with, he decided to split the difference and he started to make pancakes.

"Pancakes," Cassie said, coming into the kitchen looking much more covered in black leggings and a loose tunic top, carrying a large stack of cardboard boxes. She silently moved through and dumped them in a room that came off the living room. She returned and went to the fireplace and started cleaning out the ash from the fire the night before. Most people found it archaic that this place was heated by this fire but she found it therapeutic.

Johnathen glanced up at Cassie and smiled. "Yup, pancakes. It's one of the few breakfasts that I can make well. And," he added, "I only seem to be able to make a lot of them. I may need some help eating all of these." He tried using reverse psychology on Cassie because he secretly wanted her to eat something to regain her strength. Especially after the blood loss she had had last night. He hoped that the delicious aroma of the freshly made pancakes might whet her appetite.

“I’m sure you can cope eating them all.” Cassie murmured not at all picking up on the fact that he was trying to tempt her into food or anything. She didn’t even glance up from stacking the wood.

Sighing silently, Johnathen realized that this was going to be harder than he thought. While he didn't want to push her too far, he also recognized that, even with her Vulcan metabolism, she had to eat and rebuild her strength and vitality. Putting the pancakes to the side, he moved over to where she was and grabbed the piece of wood she was holding, stopping her from continuing to stack. "Cassie," he began, his voice full of concern. "Please forgive my forcefulness, but, you have to eat. You lost a lot of blood last night, and the last thing you need is to collapse from overexertion. Please, allow me to help you. Now, you don't have to eat a lot. Just a few forkfuls. Do that, and we will do whatever you need to do after that. What do you say?"

"I'm Vulcan." She said softly as the piece of wood was grabbed from her hand as she started to stack them high enough to last a few hours. "I am fine. I feel fine. The thought of food makes my stomach queasy." She said gently looking at him staring at her concerned. "You don't need to be concerned."

"Cas." Johnathen's voice now got a little firmer. "I don't care if you're the Almighty, Himself. You were injured last night, seriously injured. You are going through an extremely stressful moment in your life right now. Yes, you are Vulcan. But only half. Your Human half requires regular amounts of sustenance. It would be extremely illogical for you to neglect your own physical well-being." He was silent for a beat and added. "Please don't make me push harder." Inside, he was pleading for her to stop and recuperate. She would be no good to herself, or anyone else if she stopped eating and got sick.

"You are very forceful when you want to be." She whispered shaking her head as she returned to the fire for a second with a sigh. "I feel sick... I will try some of those pancakes once I have this fire going since it is so important to you." She added looking directly at him.

Johnathen smiled brightly. "Deal! In fact, I'll help you get it going!" He was reenergized by Cassie's acceptance of his help. In less than ten minutes, a nice, roaring fire was going. After Johnathen placed the screen in front of the fireplace, he turned and smiled again as he spoke. "Okay, young lady," he said jokingly. "Go wash the soot off your hands and face, then come sit at the table. I'll have your breakfast ready for you once you're ready."

The woman raised an eyebrow as she rose, not sure how to take his instruction. So, instead, she just went and sat down at her dining room table and watched this man who was making himself at home. It was nice to see someone else in the place when it had been just her and her Mum for so long but it was also distracting from what she needed to get done.

Johnathen almost said something about the fact that Cassie handy washed her hands before sitting at the table, but decided that it was better to pick his battles. Moving back to the kitchen, he quickly loaded a tray, that he had found, with the plate filled with pancakes, a small pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice, syrup and butter, plus a small selection of fruit preserves, a small bowl of freshly made whipped cream and a pot of freshly brewed and steeped tea.

After carrying the tray to the dining room table, Johnathen carefully laid everything out so that Cassie could easily reach whatever she needed. He then sat across from her and offered to serve her. "How many would you like?"

“Just one for now. I need to wash my hands.” She realized, seeing the spot on her hands. “Excuse me,” She said with a polite grace as she disappeared off.

Johnathen grinned slightly to himself. He served a single pancake on her plate and then placed two on his. He then drizzled the syrup on his breakfast, enjoying the mixture of the aromas. Then he sat and waited for Cassie to return.

:::TBC:::

Cassie McAvoy
Science Track - Biology
Starfleet Acdemy (Senior Year)
(PNPC Gregnol)

Johnathen Anderson
Helm
Starfleet Acdemy (Sophomore Year)
(PNPC Robertson)