#una: hey chris I have a plan to test this cadet

[owedfavors]

I've said this to people in the past, but I don't know if I've ever said it here but just... the way pike is 90% of una's moral compass and therefore her tether when she goes too far is... everything to me. una who will overload a phaser and kill four humans and a whole group of talosians in order to keep one man from imprisonment. una who designs an honestly goddamn traumatic test for a cadet wanting a posting on enterprise. una who goes through unsanctioned channels to get information on spock when he's missing. una who, without authorization, commandeers experimental tactical flyers and installs weapon systems on enterprise's landing craft... the real problem is, pike's 90% of una's moral compass and sense of what is morally acceptable... but he also becomes way too indulgent of her and it shows...

[carrietrekkie]

“You know, I was right.”

Hey together!

I got some warnings for that: No drama, no spaceships, no Starfleet.

I finally made it through the part where it gets much more romantic but I also put in some funny parts. 

I really hope you enjoy it, and please left me some fb!

@bold-brave-courageous @allthetrek @reeselivesforeverinmyheart

I was surprisingly well rested when an unexpected ringing woke me up and gave my plans a small damper. I threw on a jacket and hurried to the door, in front of it stood someone I had not expected at all.

"Commander?" I blinked at the First Officer of the Enterprise. "Una." She smiled brightly at me. "We are not on duty, we even have holidays and what I intend to do with you doesn´t necessarily need rank and command structure." "Why do not I take that from you?" I replied. "Do you want to come in?" "Gladly." She floated past me. "I almost didn´t recognize you without your uniform." "For that I recognize you in it too well." Una looked at me. "Freshen up, put on clothes. It's time to polish your wardrobe. " "Can I at least have breakfast?" I slipped into the little bath and followed her command, please, I was not sure what it was. "No, we have breakfast in San Francisco." "Okay." I got the feeling that this was not a spontaneous idea. "But I have to disappoint you, except for my uniform, I have no other things to wear, except a few sports clothes." "Good." She handed my things to the bathroom. I saved myself the question of where she got it from. "So first shopping, then breakfast." And that sounded more like an order than a request. Surprisingly, it was a few hours of fun before I ran into my own day plan in a sidewalk café. *******

"It couldn´t have been any better, could it?" Captain Diego Palma grinned at him broadly. "Finally you have a reason, a good one, to get rid of the hologram communication systems." "Come on, you cannot stand it anymore than I do." Chris leaned back in his chair. "I remember that you have impressively asked your chief engineer not to install any of these things in your ready room." "Point for you." Pike and Palma knew each other from their time as test pilots in Starfleet and although Chris would not have called him his best friend, he was always happy when they led one or the other mission together. Right now, however, he enjoyed especially that a pleasant breeze was blowing around his nose and that the coffee had not come out of the replicator for months.

"But seriously?" Diego bothered with another muffin. "The admirals react over. Problem detected, problem banned, right? "Chris shrugged as Palma spoke again. "Put the Enterprise on hold? The fleet is not fully restored after the war, but it's not necessary to brake that way, in my opinion. "

"Well, but nobody asks us." Pike reached for his cup. "For now, I'm glad they do not hold us in the dock." "My speech." "What are your plans?" "We set off to survey and explore the Lambetta sector. They've assigned a bunch of cadets to me, I hope we have the mess in hand until we get there. "Palma glanced at Pike. "I reckon that you are flourishing too, the fleet desperately needs staff and some degree programs have been accelerated enormously or released for training on spaceships." "We have always had many cadets on the Enterprise, so not much changes."

"I want your serenity." Diego looked around. "So something different. Who is Cathrin Zimmer? " "A member of my crew." "Oh Chris, you've always been such a lousy liar." "Not everyone can sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo." He grinned at him. At this point, Diego was the perfect cliché, when there were supposed stories of women, everything else was suddenly uninteresting. "It is subject to secrecy." "Mmh hm." Palma shrugged her eyebrows. "How secret?" "So secret that I would have to shoot you if I betrayed it to you and myself too."

"Spoilsport." The Spaniard leaned back. "So is she pretty? Sexy? Exciting? Or everything together? " "Diego, if I remember correctly, you are married, right?" Chris grinned at him, addressed back. "Yes, and I love her idolatrously, so I've made it my mission to make everyone around me happy." He spread his arms, one hand landing on Pike's shoulder. "And you look like you have not been really happy for quite a while." "That's a whole different story." Pike started stirring the spoon in his cup. "Don´t let you grow more gray hair Chris. Too much pondering is not good for the soul, let alone heart and mind. " "Diego Palma, will you become a poet in your old days?" "Maybe and you know that I'm half a year younger than you?" Diego's eyes wandered past Pike, then he raised his eyebrows and whistled softly. Chris frowned slightly, then turned sideways to see what caught the other captain's attention. And it was not hard to find out. Chris had not turned around yet when he saw Cathrin coming through the tables. It took him a moment to recognize her without her uniform. She was wearing a dark red dress that looked like it was made just for her. Kneeling around, just tight enough to go over as decent and she wore it as if she had never done anything different. She waved briefly as she recognized him.

"Hey!" Cathrin stopped beside him. "Number One said I would find you here." "Even on vacation infallible." Chris smiled at her, then a throat clearing forced him to pull away from her. "Are you introducing us?" Diego smiled wider, if that was possible, and rose from his chair. "Of course, sorry." Pike knew he had caught him. "Cathrin Zimmer, Captain Diego Palma." "Sir, I'm glad to meet you." Cathrin reached out her hand and instead of shaking it, the captain leaned toward her and motioned for a kiss. "Oh believe me, the joy is on my side." Chris could tell from her smile that she did not quite know what to do with that remark. "Do you want to sit down with us?"

"I really don´t want to bother." She pointed outside. "Louvier was just so fond of bringing me something and I thought you might want to take a close look at it." Now it was her turn to brow her eyebrows. "You don´t bother us, we were done." Palma reached for his jacket. "I have a date with my wife anyway." Now Chris rose from his chair. "It was really nice that we saw each other again face to face." "So no hologram flickering." The Spaniard ignored Pike's hand and closed him briefly in his arms instead. "All at once." Laughing, Chris let go and smiled again at Cathrin's confused face. "Miss Zimmer, it was an extraordinary, if short, pleasure." "That, I can only give back." "Be careful out there." Pike nodded to him. "Always." He winked, then they left the café, said goodbye to each other and Palma disappeared in the bustle on the promenade. "Do I want to know what he meant?" She smiled broadly at him. "If I figure it out, I'll let you know." Chris put an arm around her. "Nice that you're here and if I can say that, you look stunning." Cathrin laughed and spun. "Thank you!" Then she looked at him, an outrageously sweet expression in her eyes. "Alright, if you have time and still want to." She conjured a key from somewhere and held it under his nose.

"How about a little spin?"

******

Once again I was shaken, then the whole waggle wobbled and came to a standstill with a sad chuckle. At least five meters further than before.

"I've already driven a car." I squinted in the direction of my utterly contrite student and tried my best not to burst into laughter. "Did I say that?" Chris raised an eyebrow and I did the same. "I may even aloud to fly a spaceship." I pinched my lips. "Yes, that sounds like it's from me." He hung his head. "And quite, very darkly, I remember reminding you that it's not so easy to do a gearshift." I chuckled softly, which gave me a bad look from him. "It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure this conversation goes like this."

"Don´t you ever forget anything?" He sank back into the driver's seat. "Nothing I experienced personally." I grinned at him, straightened and looked at him. "Once again?" "All good things are?" He thought for a moment. "Five?" "Seven." "If you tell that to anyone." Chris rolled his eyes, then gave me a look that made my heart beat faster. "Then what?" I hoped I got an equally outrageous expression on my face. "Do I have to peel potatoes or something like that?" Laughing, he shook his head lightly, then took a deep breath, turned the key in the ignition and the engine came to life. "OK." I tapped the gear stick. "I'll show you some, that helped me back then." "I am listening." Chris looked at me. "But so that I understand it." "I'll try and get on the clutch." He did it and I put my hand on his thigh. "Eyes closed." "Is this a good idea?" "You should not drive, just listen, close your eyes."

Still undecided what he should think of it, he followed my instructions. "Okay, and now slowly raise your foot." I looked at him. He was highly concentrated and tried to do exactly what I told him to do. "There is a point, should come soon, where you feel how the car starts to vibrate easily." I squinted down to see how far he had come, then felt a familiar vibration in his leg. "Stop, right there, do you have this point and you give gas, slowly, then the car starts." "May I open my eyes again?" "Yes you may." Slowly, I pulled my hand back and Chris set to start his next attempt. "Will you do me a favor?" He squinted at me. "Sure, which one?" "Don´t try to look that way, I feel like I did my Astrophysics exam and I failed it." "OK." I leaned into the seat and closed my eyes with a grin. "Better?" "Not worse." I heard him breathe, then he repeated that and just as he pressed the gas pedal this time, the car drove off slowly. "Don´t forget to switch." "You shouldn´t look." "And you look at the street!" His luck the traffic was virtually nonexistent. "Before we hit something." "We're in the desert, there's nothing against miles we could drive against." "Ah ha." I opened my eyes again and found surprised that we drove quite fast through the area. I looked at him.

"And?" "I could get used to that." He grinned at me. "May I listen to music now?" "You keep your hands on the steering wheel." I tapped the screen and called up the pieces he had chosen. I had to let him do, that after he had managed to set the car in motion, the rest seemed to be a breeze so I relaxed as the first few bars of “All the time” went through the speakers and saw watching him drive as if he had never done anything else.

 I had to fall asleep at some point, because when I opened my eyes again, we parked in front of an incredibly beautiful farmhouse. Slowly I got out and looked around. It was quiet, a little further away were a few horses in a paddock. Behind me a door rattled and I turned around. Chris just came down the small staircase on the porch.

"Hey, rested?" He smiled at me. "I'm just wondering how long I slept?" I stretched a little. "Where are we?" "Mojave." He came to me, I opened my eyes. "How fast did you drive?" We had been just somewhere outside San Francisco when I let him behind the wheel. "The transporter brought us here. The car would never have made it that fast." Chris pulled me away from the car and closed the door. "I wanted to show you my home." "This is your house?" "Yes." He pointed to an outbuilding. "There would be room in the barn for your car, if you want to leave it here." "Would that be possible?" I looked at him. "I mean, it cannot stand on the Enterprise forever." "I wouldn´t have offered it." "Well then, I'll leave it here." I went to the trunk, he followed me. "But I have to clean it up." I opened the door, then sighed.

"Did you rob a clothes shop?" He grinned at me and I just wanted to open my mouth when he interrupted me. "No, let me guess ... Una." "How did?" "Call it intuition, you would never think of it, but she has a weakness for fashion and clothing." "I noticed that." I grinned. "But hey, shopping without paying has something of its own, some of which I would never have bought." I grabbed some bags and was glad he took the rest from me, but still I would have to go a second time.

 "Before you say anything, I had nothing left to wear." I squinted at him. "Yes, I know, it sounds like a bad cliché, but it's true, I was in the first shop in my sports gear." "What about the black dress?" "I will not wear this anymore." I looked at him sadly. I wore it at Airiams memorial service. "I understand." There was also a brief shadow creeping over his face as we thought about it, then he shook off the sad thoughts and nudged me lightly.

"Where to store all this stuff, or can I take it to the Enterprise right now?" "What you want here, you can bring upstairs to the guest room, the rest in your." "In my quarters." I interrupted him. I just noticed what I still lacked here. "Um, how are you looking for an apartment in the 23rd century?" "Where do you want to live?" He pushed the door open with his back and gave me the lead. "Good question." I entered, looked around, then at him. "Oh wow! Here! Honestly, I'll kick you out." I stood in one of the most beautiful houses I've ever seen, and from floor to ceiling it wore what I would call its handwriting. "And you'd rather spend your time on a spaceship than here?" "I didn´t say that." He watched me, smiling, as I looked around. The entrance was at the same time the living room. It was followed by kitchens and dining room. The only separate rooms down here were a guest bathroom and his office. I had to smile as I cast a quick glance. Slightly chaotic, crammed to the ceiling with books and overall just as I expected. "Upstairs is the big bathroom, two guest rooms, and my bedroom." Chris put down the bags on the kitchen island. "I'll get the rest.” "Yes, okay." I went to the kitchen. "Take your time.”

I couldn´t see him smiling as I ran my hand over the wood on the counter. Everything here looked after him, smelled of him, it was his home, that could be seen and felt in every inch. I wondered what it looked like above. But I didn´t get that far.

"Okay, I hope you can move better in the dress than I can carry it." Chris came back, holding the bag with my ball gown in his hands. "Because that's damned awkward." "It wears like a cloud of cotton candy, so yes." I went to him. "Where can I put it down?" "I'll bring it up, or someone else will sit down later." "Do you expect anyone else?" "Um, yes." He grinned at me, then headed for the stairs and I decided to follow him. "I've been away for five years and I expect everyone who has noticed me to come back here. I also invite the crew over to have some drink."

"Wait?" We reached the upper floor. "Every 250?" "Not everyone will come by far." He pushed open the first door to his right. "I guess." "Do you?" I smiled slightly. "Anyone else I should know about?" "My parents, my sister, my brother, my nieces and nephews." "Whoa Chris." I opened my eyes. "Where are you taking them all down?" "Outside." He hung up the dress, then looked at me. "You look confused." "Do you find?" I shrugged my eyebrows. "You're planning a party." I moved my hand a little back and forth. "Let's say with three hundred people in a few hours." "I have not planned anything." He took me by the hand and pulled me downstairs again. "Sure why, it's only half a village." I still didn´t know what to think of it. "Everyone brings something along, I get some to drink and there's plenty of space and opportunities to sit."

"And you expect me to say something about that?" Not to mention that the thought of meeting his entire family and friends in a few hours made me quite nervous. "No, I don´t." He smiled at me. "I'm sorry I should have warned you, but." Chris sank his hands in the pockets of his jeans. By the way which damn good sat, but that only incidentally. "But what?" "I was scared you say no." "No, really?" I rolled my eyes. "Why should 300 strangers make me nervous?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Could have been." Then he relaxed a bit again. "Alright, feel like home." "I will." I looked after him as he went back upstairs. "What you are doing?"

"I go take a shower." "OK." No, I didn´t say what was going through my head. "Did you hide a coffee machine somewhere in this fabulous kitchen?" "Right next to the fridge." Then he disappeared and I was alone.

I made myself a coffee, then I looked around a bit. I recognized a few things again, they were some pieces he had had on Discovery. Almost automatically, my steps led me into the office. Chris liked to read, but I already knew, that he had a weakness for printed books, that didn´t really surprise me either. He had very old books, but also those that could have come from my time, which was somehow antique and then something that surprised me, a stack of records. I narrowed my eyes "That's impossible." I set my cup down, stepped to the shelf, and reached out to get to the top of the rack, but I was a few inches too small. Even when I stood on tiptoe, I didn´t get close.

As I was about to give up, a few fingers moved over mine and reached for the plate. I leaned back slightly as I sensed that Chris was standing right behind me, his fingers gliding over mine infinitely slowly, from there rapidly spreading goose bumps all over my body.

"Was that the right one?" I heard his voice right next to my ear as his breath stroked the thin skin on my neck. "Yes, thank you." I honestly didn´t care about the record. I closed my eyes as I felt his hand on my hip and he gently stroked my skin with his thumb. My heart was pounding wildly, the tingling in my stomach was even more intense and yet I needed a deep breath to turn around to him.

He looked right into my eyes, I could have instantly lost myself in it. I had looked into it so often, but this time it was different. There was a sparkle in it and my knees went soft as I realized it was there because of me. Chris took the record out of my hand and dropped it behind him, then closed his arm around me, pulling me closer. I put my hands briefly on his chest, then slowly let them walk up and put my hands around his neck. He leaned toward me, gently nibbling his nose across my cheekbone. There was only a breath left between our lips and I couldn´t resist it any longer. I overcame these few millimeters and kissed him.

For a brief moment, I felt I had taken him by surprise, then he pulled me closer and returned the kiss. I fell into this feeling, let go of what had held me back the last few weeks, and pressed myself against him as hard as I could. I didn´t want him to stop, I didn´t want to stop. He released me, then I felt him put his hands to my face and break the kiss. Chris looked at me, gently kissed my nose, my cheek, before he put his forehead against mine and closed his eyes with an incredibly relieved smile on his face.

"You know, I was right." "By which?" I was sure, I too beamed all over my face. "Once I start kissing you, I cannot stop it." And before I could say anything back, he proved to me that he was serious with this. He kissed me again and we sank into it. His lips on mine felt incredibly good, wiping away all doubt, leaving only the feeling that this was perfect and had to be the same. I slid my fingers through his hair and could not stop myself from slipping a little sigh, then he smiled into the kiss before pulling me closer to him and lifting me off the floor, then he just released himself from me, that he could look at me. His eyes glared at me, he gasped slightly, as I did, making both of us laugh.

"What will that be?" I bit my lower lip. A nonsensical question. "You can guess three times." He kissed me briefly, while he sucked gently on my lower lip. He had no idea what he was doing to me. Slowly he put me down on the ground, pulled me into a tight hug.

Then he looked right into my eyes and be it attributable to the situation or just something about him that I still had to decrypt, there was the answer to an unspoken question in it and I knew I would only need one try. I smiled at him, then slid my fingers over his stomach, grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, then slapped my arms around him and we sank in another kiss, more violent and passionate than before. Slowly I let him push me against the wall, and let my head sank back as he began to let his lips gently wander down my neck. "Chris?" I opened my eyes and he shot up as if struck by lightning. When I wanted to say something, he put a finger on my lips. We both listened and when I heard nothing, I ran my tongue over his finger. "Christopher?" He swore softly, then rolled his eyes. Slowly, he stroked my lower lip with his finger before pulling him back with a heartbreaking look. "Who is this?" "My sister." He reached out and quietly pushed the door shut a little. "Maybe she'll go again when we're quiet." "Chris, I know you're here, there's a car out there that looks like you like it, and we also made an appointment." "Shit, I forgot about this."

He sucked briefly on his lower lip, then he looked at me apologetically. "She will not rest." He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer, he closed his arms tightly around me and hugged me to him. I stroke his hair, then I kissed him again and against better knowledge he continued where we had just stopped.

"Chris, are you upstairs, I'll get you out of the shower if I have to! Mum's coming over right now and she's got the kids with her." I laughed softly. "You find that funny?" He also smiled. "Otherwise I was the annoying big sister so yes." I breathed a last kiss on his lips. "She says she's going to get you out of the shower, so she'll come in here, too." "Most likely." I felt as he stroked my back, slowly forward over my stomach. "Mmh, that's mean." I closed my eyes with a smile. "I know." He looked at me. "Remember what you wanted to do." "You can bet your spaceship on that."   Then I let him go, he picked up his shirt from the floor, pulled it over and went to his sister.

 I looked furtively after him and hadn´t he told me that this woman was his sister, at the latest when she laughingly closed him in her arms, I would have seen it. I was so happy with him, even more as I realized that it had been more than five years since he had held her in his arms. I had just been away from my family for a few months and missed her more than I had ever imagined. The door opened again and three children stormed in. Two boys and a little girl. I estimate her for about a year, her uncertain steps betrayed that she was just learning to walk. Chris dropped to his knees and the boys leapt at him and knocked him over with full force. Laughing, the three rolled around on the ground. "Ok guys, get off of him." But she did not seem to be serious about it. "He doesn´t need you two to demolish himself." "Oh let it be good Steph." Chris grabbed one of the guys, who squeaked and shoved him back to the floor. But he had made the calculation without nephew number two. This grabbed Chris legs, while the other sat down on his stomach. Within seconds, the two had set him checkmate and he could only lie on the ground and gasp for air.

"You forgot that the two are now five years older and bigger." "Yes, I notice that too." He laughed slightly, then looked at the little girl hiding behind his mother. "And who are you?" Big blue eyes fixed him silently, before she ran off with a little shriek. "That's Elsa." She caught the little girl again and picked it up. "Guys let Uncle Chris get up off the floor so he can meet your sister." Mauling and grumbling, the two responded to the request and then continued on through the house. "Oh man, when did the two get so strong?" Chris scrambled up from the floor, ran his fingers through his hair and headed for his sister. "Sometimes between year three and four." She turned so that he could see the girl. "Elsa, say hello to Uncle Chris."

"Hello Elsa." Chris nudged the girl to her nose, she briefly burying her face in her mother's hair before lifting her arms and reaching out to meet him. He caught her and she was still staring at him. "What a surprise." Steph grinned at him. "She likes you." "Ah yes, me too." He rocked the girl back and forth, then she started fidgeting and got him to turn her off again.

"Where is Alex?" "Australia." She looked at him. "He hopes he can do it, but he cannot promise it, you just been here for a few days and the mission comes in between." "Let's wait." He raised his eyebrows, then noticed his sister's crooked eyes. "What is?" "Nothing." She smiled like only a big sister could and I remembered what she must noticed. "The color is yours, by the way." She tapped her lip. "Hmm?" Chris wiped his lip, looked at his finger, then opened his eyes. "Just don´t think of lying to me." She pressed a kiss on his cheek. "I'll catch the rascals before they put you all out." I pushed back against the wall as she passed and hurried up the stairs where the boys were running through the rooms. Then I slowly slipped out of the office and found myself facing an unexpected butt. Elsa was standing in front of me and looked at me with her big eyes.

"Hello little lady." I squatted in front of her. "Have you met your uncle?" She held out her hand to me. "By the way, I'm Cathrin." She smiled broadly, then she fumbled away again. When I straightened up, Chris was standing in front of me. I smiled at him.

"Yes, I wear lipstick, I bought today before I knew I needed the kiss proof." I ran a thumb over his lips, still glued to the pink lipstick. "But yes, it fits you." "If you say so." He took my hand. "Okay, that was just a foretaste, my family is extremely warm, affectionate, loud and knows absolutely no fear of personal limits." I smiled as he looked up at me from below. "I guess you have two minutes to get away."

"Or?" "Or." He pulled me into his arms. "You kiss me again, take a deep breath and somehow try to survive that." "I've been through a lot." I leaned against him, kissed him, then smiled at him. "I can do that with my left."