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Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2004 23:57:39 -0400
Subject: [ASC] NEW: TOS Scientist [PG13] 2/3  K/Ch, ChFF
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Forwarded by the ASC-VSO 
Posted: 11 Jun 2004 20:59:33 -0700  
In: alt.startrek.creative 
From: djinn@djinnslair.com (Djinn) 
 

TITLE: Scientist
AUTHOR: Djinn
CONTACT: djinn@djinnslair.com http://www.djinnslair.com
SERIES: TOS
RATING: PG-13
CODES: K/Ch, Chapel Fic Fest
PART: 2/3
DISCLAIMERS: Paramount and Viacom own these characters--I'm just
warping canon.
SUMMARY: Sequel to "Doctor." The continuing look at Chapel through


"You're sure you don't mind being hostess for this dog and pony show?"
 Carol is bustling around her office, getting ready to go check out
the site for stage two.  Christine hasn't been told where it will
be--she's found that information on future stages of the project are
off limits to her since she told Carol she was leaving.

And people seem to be watching what they say around her.  

It's okay.  She doesn't need to know anymore.  Not if she's leaving.

Carol looks over at her.  "It's just a couple of admirals.  I guess
that's the peril of having such a sexy project.  We're constantly
playing tour guide."

David doesn't play guide often, mainly because he invariably loses
patience with the visitors.  They're never as smart as he is.

Fortunately, David is going with his mother.  Christine won't have to
worry about what he might say to the brass.

"Thank you for being so understanding about my leaving," Christine
says.

"I know it's been hard to lie to Jim.  I hope you realize how vital
your silence has been to the project's success?"

Christine nods. Although she thinks her silence has been more vital
for keeping Jim away from David than for the sanctity of Carol's
precious project.

Carol gives her a look that seems almost envious.  "You're doing what
you have to do to preserve something you believe in.  I understand
that.  Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had fought
harder for Jim."  She looks away, then she looks back.  "I don't like
that you're leaving though.  David needs you, Christine."

She nods unhappily.  She knows he needs her; she is his conscience. 
She's worried that he may not have one of his own.

"There will always be a place for you here, Christine.  I want you to
know that."

She nods, touched at Carol's warmth.  She and Jim's old flame have
never been close.  But Carol treats her well.  Probably because David
and Christine have been joined at the hip since she came on board. 
And because they've gotten such amazing results.

David was right.  The protomatter was the answer.  It is the sole
reason they are moving onto stage two.  It is the reason they are
ready.

She sighs.  A part of her would like to see this out.

But that part isn't in charge anymore.

"Good luck with the tour," Carol says as David walks in.  "Ready,
kiddo?"

"Ready."  He smiles at Carol.  Sometimes Christine thinks his
relationship with his mother is unhealthily close, might be worried if
she didn't know that David preferred men.  It was what made Jim's
worries so silly.  Not that she could tell him that.

Soon, she wouldn't have to worry about it.  Soon she'd be free of this
project and the wedge it had put up between Jim and her.

She follows Carol and David out, veers off before the main entrance
and goes to her office.  She has a lot to do before the visitors
arrive.  And more to do after that if she wants to get home at a
decent hour.

And she does want to.   Things with Jim are better, but they are still
so tentative around each other.  She knows that only time spent
together rebuilding the connection they've lost will make them more at
ease.

And spending time with him is no hardship.  Having sex repeatedly as a
temperature check isn't bad either.

She forces herself to stop thinking of Jim, and finish transitioning
her work.  David has all her notes on protomatter, but there are other
parts of her work that she can share with the rest of the team.  It's
just a matter of organizing the information.

A few hours later, she has them ready to go.  Tomorrow she can finish
up any miscellaneous files, visit the security office to be debriefed,
and then she will be free.  Finally.

She will also be out of a job.  So far, Starfleet Medical seems to
have forgotten about her--or at least they're not beating down the
doors with her next assignment.  Then again, they might not know where
the Genesis doors are.

She will be so glad to get back to Starfleet proper.

"Doctor Chapel?"  One of the other scientists looks in.  

She imagines that when he calls her "Doctor," he is probably more
interested in her biochem doctorate than in her M.D.

"Our admirals are here."  He manages to put a sneer into the titles. 
David's dislike of all things military has rubbed off on too many of
her colleagues, but she can't get him to moderate his hostility, even
to set a better example.

What does he care about what kind of example he sets?  Other than
intellectually--he loves being the exemplar in that.

"Starfleet is the one paying our bills.  We should all remember that."

"You're Starfleet, so I'd expect you to say that."  He walks out.

She sighs as she gets up.  She is one of the few Starfleet here. 
Carol has been astoundingly successful at keeping the military out.
Other than those she and David particularly wanted on the project.

There are so many days when Christine wishes she wasn't one of those
chosen few.

She sees that the lights in the conference room are on.  The admirals
will be waiting for her.  She has filled in before on these little
tours.  Enjoys them actually.  Interacting with the brass and selling
the project as best she can to those who have a layman's grasp at best
of the science behind the sexy premise is fun.

She walks into the room and forgets how to breathe.

Jim is one of the admirals.  She can't even take in who the other is. 
Just stares at Jim as he looks up and immediately goes white, then his
face begins to turn red.

Rage.  She is looking at rage.

Somehow he manages to speak.  "I didn't realize you were involved in
Carol's project, Commander."

She nods.  The other admiral looks at her strangely.

"What's the matter?  Cat got your tongue?"  Jim stands up.  "We're
here for a tour.  Give us one."

The other admiral looks at him sharply.  Jim's words and tone are
rude.  No other word for it.

The other admiral doesn't have any idea what he's just wandered into.

She swallows hard.  "I'm not the most qualified to give the tour.
Perhaps another one of the scientists could---"

"--No, Chris.  I want you to give us the tour."

She somehow nods.  "This way then."

Jim seems to settle down as she takes them through the history of the
project.   But Carol told her that Jim knew about Genesis, at least in
concept.  Carol was working on it even back when they were together.

"And which section do you specialize in, Commander?" the other admiral
asks, probably hoping to keep them on safe ground.

"Chris is a biochem specialist.  That would be David Marcus's section,
wouldn't it?"

She nods.

"And does he happen to have curly blonde hair?  I think I caught a
glimpse of him once through a window, but his back was to me.  I may
be mistaken."  His eyes are unforgiving.

"No. You're not mistaken."

"I'm sure working together must be exhilarating?  Must give you so
much in common?"  His tone is easy, as if he's just making
conversation, but his eyes are angrier than she has ever seen them.

"We're friends."

"Close friends, I imagine."

"Not that close.  We just work together."

"Ah."  He looks over at the other admiral.  "Enough small talk, right,
Pete?  We should let Commander Chapel get back to her work."

The other admiral nods.

A sick feeling is roiling up from Christine's stomach.  She thinks she
might throw up or pass out.  Instead she reaches out, touches Jim's
arm.

He jerks it away.  

The other admiral doesn't notice.  Just heads for the entrance.  One
of the guards lets him out.

"Don't go, Jim.  We need to talk."

"You had an affair with my son.  May still be having one with him. 
How much talk is necessary?"

"I wasn't involved with him."

He's not listening to her.  "My son, Chris?  That's sick."

"I swear to you.  I did not sleep with him."

"Clever answer since you sleep with me every night.  Did you have sex
with him though?"

"No."  She touches his arm again.

This time he looks down at her fingers, then slowly raises his head. 
"Don't do that again."

She has never been afraid of him.

Not until now.

She pulls her fingers away.

"I should have told you I was working with David and Carol."

"Yes, you should have.  Why didn't you?"

She looks down.  She's been trying to figure that out for too long. 
"It was because of the pro--" She swallows the rest of the word. He
already thinks she is unfaithful, does she want to add unethical and
insane to the list?   "I made a mistake."

"You said no more lies."

"I'm leaving the project tomorrow.  There won't be any more lies after
I'm gone."

He just shakes his head.  "Stay on the project, Chris.  Stay with
David.  Because you're sure as hell not staying with me."

He turns on his heel and strides out.  The guard sees his face and has
the door open for him long before he gets there.

She feels as if she might faint, grabs the nearest piece of furniture
for support and tries to figure out what to do.

She wants to run after him, but she knows he is too angry to listen to
her.  But tonight...she'll go home tonight and talk to him.  When he's
calmer.

She has a plan.  Now if she could just remember how to breathe.

------------------

Jim is packing when she gets home.  It's taken her the whole day to
calm down and figure out what to do, how to make this right.

"I didn't sleep with him."

He just nods.  Not as if he believes her, more as if he is too tired
to fight about it.

"I know how I can prove it."

He turns to look at her.

"Spock.  Let's go to his apartment.  Now."

"A mind meld?"

She nods.  She knows Spock will be able to tell that she never cheated
on Jim.

It suddenly occurs to her that he might find out about the
protomatter.  Can she shield well enough to keep him from seeing that?

This is insane.  She can't let him into her mind.  He can't find out.

But Jim doesn't know that she's changed her mind. Maybe just her
willingness to let Spock meld with her will be enough?

"All right.  I believe you.  You didn't sleep with him."  He goes back
to packing.

"You're still leaving?"

He nods.

"But I didn't cheat on you."

He turns to her.  "Well, that's too bad because I cheated on you."

She swallows.  "I know.  I forgive you."

"You forgive me?"  He laughs, a terribly bitter laugh.  "You forgive
me?"  He drops the shirt he is folding, strides over to her.

The look on his face makes her take a step back, then another. The
third step back lands her against the doorjamb.

"Where the hell do you get off forgiving me?  You've been getting to
know my son ever since we got back and you never told me.  You never
even hinted.  And you forgive me?"  He turns and walks back to the
bed.  "Carol at least was upfront about keeping him away from me.  But
you..."  There is complete disgust in his voice.

"Jim."

"What the hell is wrong with you, Chris?  What were you thinking?"  He
seems to sag.  "How can I ever trust you again?"

"Jim, it was just..."  She doesn't know what it just was.  She's been
stupid.  So damn stupid not to tell him.  She sees that now.  But she
couldn't tell him because he would have found out about the
protomatter...

It always comes down to that damn protomatter.

Her own private apple in the garden.

She turns and walks out to the living room, slumps into the nearest
chair.  He's leaving her, and there's not a thing she can do to stop
it.

Walking out, he sits down across from her.  "Things haven't been good
for a while now."

"I know."  She can't meet his eyes.

"I think I'd almost prefer it if you were in love with someone else. 
Then I'd understand it.  Why you kept him to yourself."

She looks up at him.  She's not crying.  She feels too numb to cry.

This is all her fault.  That keeps ringing through her head.  This is
all her fault.

"Don't go, Jim."

"I have to.  I can't stay here.  I hate it here.  I have since we got
back."

It takes her a moment to realize that he means San Francisco, not
their apartment.

"You're transferring?"

"I'm retiring."  He laughs bitterly again.  "I have retired. 
Effective today, I am gone."

"Where will you go?"  She sees his face tighten.  "You're going back
to Idaho, aren't you?"

He doesn't look at her, just nods.

It stings.  Hurts almost more than she can stand.  He's going back to
that other woman.  Antonia.

"How do you know she'll take you back?  You didn't even say goodbye
when you left."

"I said goodbye later."  He looks up at her.

"Oh."  She thought he'd cut all ties with Antonia.  

She was an idiot.

"And she's waiting for you now?"

He nods again.

"At least say goodbye to Spock."

"I have. He knows where I'll be."

She realizes he doesn't just mean Idaho.  Did he buy a house?  Does
Antonia have one?

Spock knows where Jim will be, but Jim's not going to tell her.  

She looks down.  "It's really over then."

"Yes, it really is."  He gets up, walks back into the bedroom.  A few
minutes later, he comes out with his bag.  "I'll send for the rest of
my stuff."

She nods.  

He stares at her for a moment, his expression unreadable.

She blinks back tears, clenches her teeth so she won't say she loves
him.

He doesn't care anyway.

"Goodbye," she says finally.

He nods, then walks out of the apartment.

And out of her life.

Forever.

-----------------------

Christine looks around her office one last time.  She doesn't need to
leave now that the rest of her life has fallen apart.  But she can't
stay.  Not any longer.  She can't undo the lies, and she can't undo
her part in whatever comes of using protomatter.  But she doesn't have
to stay to make it worse.

Her comm unit buzzes and she turns it on audio only.  She looks like
shit from crying all night.

"Christine?"  It is Carol.

Christine hits the video.

"Oh, my."  Carol winces.  "I'm sorry.  I truly am."

"You're sorry for setting me up?  Or you're sorry that Jim left me?"

Carol makes a face.  "Both?"  She leans forward, a tentative smile on
her face.  "I did it for you."

"You did it for you.  For the project."

Carol doesn't look away.  "And for David.  He needs you, Christine." 
She sighs.  "I meant it when I said there would always be a place for
you here."

"Thanks, but I'm leaving."

Carol looks stunned.

"You thought I'd stay here after you ruined my life?"

"I didn't ruin your life, Christine.  It feels like that now, I know. 
I've been there.  But you'll get over it.  I promise you--you'll get
over him."

"No, Carol. I won't."  She starts to pack the few things that actually
belong to her.

"He'll have someone else in no time, Christine.  That's how much you
mean to him."

Christine turns around, glares angrily at this woman who knows nothing
about Jim.  "He already does.  And do you know why?  Because of all
the lies.  Because he thought I was having an affair first."

Carol leans in.  "Christine.  He would have had a new one no matter
what.  That's how he is."

"No.  It's not how he is.  I know him.  I know what he's like.  He
loved me.  He would have been faithful."  She slams her desk drawer
shut.  "I expect good references from you."

"Stay and you'll get them.  I'm not making any promises if you leave."

"Screw me over again, and I'll tell David who his father is."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would.  You've left me with nothing but my career.  If you ruin
that for me, what will I have to lose?"
 
Christine thinks Carol might actually be sweating.

"Just calm down.  Of course, if you want to leave the project, I'll
give you great references.  There's no need for threats."

"I'm glad we've come to an understanding."  She looks down, then back
up at Carol.  "Were you jealous?  Is that it?"  Only she's not sure if
Carol was jealous of her and Jim or of her and David.

"Don't be absurd.  I really have to go now.  I'm sorry, truly."

"Stop saying that.  I know it's not true."

She doesn't wait for Carol to sign off, just hefts her bag and heads
for the security office for her debriefing.

A half hour later she is free.  

And utterly alone.

She cuts through the Academy grounds, sees Spock talking to Saavik and
some other students and veers off on a side path.  She can't face him
right now.

"Christine?"

She increases her pace, hopes whoever it is will just think she hasn't
heard them.

"Christine!"

She turns, sees Matthew running toward her.  

"What the hell happened to Jim?  He retired yesterday."

She tries to maintain her composure.  "I know."

"Well, you need to talk some sense into him.  This is ridiculous. 
He'll be bored silly in a week."

"Starfleet wasn't the only thing he left, Matthew."

"What?"

"He's gone."  She turns away as she feels tears welling up.

He stops her.  "I'm sorry.  I don't know what to say.  I thought--"

"--You thought he loved me.  Well, he did."  She looks down.  "I made
some mistakes, Matthew.  I...I blew it."  She laughs, the sound
nothing more than a puff of air.  "I told him, a long, long time ago,
that I wasn't any good at this.  But did he listen?"

Her bag is suddenly too heavy so she moves it to the other shoulder.

"What's in here?" he asks, touching the strap.

"I left the project I was on.  I'm looking for work, if you know of
anyone who needs a heartbroken research scientist or doctor."  She
tries to smile, but her lips tremble too much so she abandons the
attempt.

"I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Thanks, Matthew."  She touches his hand.  "I know you're his friend
first."  She starts to turn away.

"I'm your friend too."  He looks concerned for her.  

She wishes he didn't.  His pity is somehow worse than Jim's anger.

"I better get going," she says.

"Right.  I am sorry, Christine."

Everyone is sorry.  She wonders if Jim is sorry, or if he is too busy
screwing Antonia.

She turns away and walks back to the apartment.

All of Jim's things are gone.  So much for sending for them later. 
She wonders if Antonia was with him or if he came alone.

She lets the bag drop off her shoulder, and it hits the ground hard. 
Something in it sounds like it has broken, but she doesn't care.  She
sits in his study, now nearly empty, and weeps.

-----------------------

Officially, Christine's on leave.  Unofficially, she is a basket case.
 She hasn't called any of her friends to let them know what's
happened, is unsure how one goes about that.  It was so easy when
Roger disappeared.  Everyone felt sorry for her.  The poor, abandoned
fiancee.

And here she is full circle.  The abandoned fiancee again.  Only this
time no one will pity her.  This time it's her fault she's in this
situation.

She can't stand the idea of her friends trying to offer comfort.  Or
of trying to explain the situation.   It's too complicated, too full
of things that cannot be spoken of.  It's easier just to drift away,
to be alone.

Her chime rings.  She ignores it.

It rings again.  Then whoever is there leans on the thing and won't
let up.  In annoyance, she rushes to the door.

It is Matthew.  "I take it you're wallowing?"

"Screw you."  She begins to close the door and he catches it.  

"So you do have some spirit left."  He shakes his head.  "I've left
five messages."

She shrugs.

"Four of them were about a position that's come open.  You're
interviewing for it in an hour."

"I am?"

"You are.  Now go get changed."

She doesn't move.

"Christine, Jim's gone.  He may never come back.  Are you really going
to let him take your life too?"

She goes into her bedroom, changes into a uniform, and puts up her
hair.  Glancing in the mirror, she sees she looks terrible and puts on
some make-up, covering redness and puffiness as best she can.

When she comes back out, Matthew nods.  "You'll do.  Now come on."  

As they walk to Starfleet Command, he says, "The position is in
Emergency Ops.  Their medical specialist just rotated out.  It's busy
and bustling and you won't have time to think about Jim."

She sighs.  "Why are you doing this?"

"Hate to lose our investment after sending you to med school."

She smiles.  It is perhaps the first time she's smiled in days. 
"Thank you."

"Just do a good interview."  He leads her into Command and down the
corridors to ops.

It is indeed bustling.  People seem to be moving in their own version
of controlled chaos.  She sees Janice, has forgotten she has been
assigned to ops.  She lifts her hand in greeting as her friend waves
at her.  Then Matthew is leading her to a conference room off the main
area.  Five people are waiting for her.

She swallows.  She hates interviewing, isn't sure she is up to one. 
Sitting down, she waits for the first question.

It seems easy, given her experiences.  She answers it.  The next is
just as easy, and she starts to relax. Leaning forward, she smiles,
ready for whatever they can dish out.

When it's over, she wanders over to Janice.  

"Hey, stranger."  Janice is wearing lieutenant commander bars.  She's
blowing through the ranks even faster than Christine.

"Hey."

"Long time, no see.  But I guess you're busy with Jim?"  Janice looks
over at her, grins in what is only a mildly envious way.

"He's gone, Jan."  She hates herself for blurting it out.

Janice smiles breezily.  "I know he's retired.  But that just means
more time for you to enjoy him, right?"  Her grin fades as she sees
Christine's face.  "What?"

"He left me."

"Oh, god, Christine.  I'm so sorry."  She touches Christine's hand.  

The old Janice would have pulled her into a hug.  The old Christine
would have been crying instead of trying so hard to stay composed.

Janice waits for her to get control before she whispers, "How did this
happen?"

She shakes her head.  It's not that she doesn't know, she just doesn't
want to say.  "Little by little, I guess.  It eroded over time.  And I
made some mistakes."  Jim isn't blameless in this either, but compared
to what she did, his infractions seem minor.

"You still love him?"

Christine nods.  She can't say it.  It hurts.

Janice seems to realize that.  "So you're interviewing for Latcher's
job?"  She points down the way, to a station labeled, "Medical."

Nodding, she asks, "Do you like it here, Jan?"

"Yeah, I do.  It's busy. Crazy busy a lot of the time.  But believe
me, there is no time to sit and obsess."  She grins.  "And you meet
the most interesting people."

Men.  Janice can only mean men.  Christine can't imagine ever caring
about that again.

Janice seems to read her mind.  "You have to get back up on the
horse."

"It's kind of hard to do.  I'm too busy mourning that someone walked
off with mine."

How could she have been so stupid? 

Protomatter seems a lifetime away. 

------------------------

Commander Reed, the head of Emergency Ops comms her the next day to
let her know she has the position.  She actually feels some excitement
over that fact.   She wasn't kidding when she told Carol her career
was all she had left.  She intends to throw herself into it body and
soul.  She owes it to Matthew for looking out for her, and to herself
too.

Besides, it's what Jim would be doing if he weren't so busy throwing
himself body and soul at Antonia.

Only Christine wants to think that the other woman just has his body. 
That somehow she owns his soul and always will.  Someday, she'll get
him back.

Christine also worries that she is a little bit delusional.

But it's a happy fantasy, one that makes lonely nights not quite as
long.  So she goes with it.

She doesn't have to worry about occupying her days.  Janice was right.
 Ops is crazy busy.  And Christine loves it.   There is no time to do
anything but act and react.  No time to sit and think of what ifs and
if onlys.  There is only the latest crisis and dealing with it.

She thinks they should prescribe it for anyone with a broken heart.

She looks down at her comms queue.  The messages are rolling in like
crazy.  Three planetary epidemics, a strange bacterial outbreak at an
isolated research station, and a handful of other medical emergencies.
 It's triage, on a galactic scale.

Janice looks over at her.  Smiles.  They go to lunch often, have
picked up their friendship as if they never let it slide into
something less intense.   Christine is not sure if it is because they
are both more mature, or because she is no longer with Jim.  She hopes
it is the former.

Not that it matters.  Jim isn't coming back.  

"I take it this was a good move?"

She looks up, sees Matthew smiling down at her.

She nods.  "What are you doing here?"

He grins, pulls up an extra chair and sits down by her.  "I love it
here.  Can't get enough of the place."

"The Academy isn't the most exciting place?"

"It's all right.  But I won't be there forever."  He points back at
Admiral Kachowa's office.  "I intend to make that my own."

"Well, then I pity the person who stands in your way."  She finds
herself smiling.  She does that more often now.

As long as she doesn't think about Jim, she's okay.

"You free for lunch?"

"I am."  She finishes the note she is working on, then gets up and
sets her station to reroute any immediate comms to Warnick, the
science specialist.

They walk in a companionable silence to the mess.   Separating to find
the food they want, they meet back up at a table near the windows.

"You don't have to look out for me anymore," she says as she sits
down.

"I know.  I'm not."  He takes a bite of food, savors it.  "This mess
is so much better than the Academy mess."

"Well, we get all the VIPs.  You just have a bunch of kids." 

"True.  But good kids.  Our hope for the future.  If the Klingons
don't steal that future away first."

There have been more incursions on the borders.  She reads the reports
every day, shudders at the casualty reports.

He glances at her.  "I take it you're no fan of Klingons either?"

"I'm not."  

"Good to know."  He eats for a few moments, then asks, "What do you
think is going to happen to the Klingon Empire?"

"Well, the popular theory is that it will crumble under its own
weight."  Not unlike the way her relationship with Jim did.  Or at
least that's what she tells herself on the days she's not interested
in wallowing in guilt.

"Yes, that is the conventional wisdom."  

"You don't believe it?"

"I think we have to be ready for anything.  I think that a lot of
people are sleeping when they should be watching."

She frowns.  "Or doing?"

He nods slowly. "Or doing."

"Starfleet's policy is to watch.  We hear that enough times in ops
when we have to deal with their damn raids."

"I know.  But not all of Starfleet may feel that way."  He leans in. 
"There are some people who champion a more direct approach to the
problem of the Klingon Empire."

"A war?"

"Not exactly.  But action nonetheless.  Perhaps direct isn't what I
mean.  Indirect maybe?"  He grins.

She gets it.  He means direct action.  Nasty covert ops and all the
things that make someone in Starfleet intelligence have an orgasm. 
She decides to change the subject.  Things you can't talk about in
mixed company give her a rash now.  "I like Emergency Ops.  I never
would have thought of doing this.  I'm glad you made me interview."

"I knew you'd like it.  You're just what they look for.  Flexible,
incredibly smart, you have experience in the field so you know what
our fleet is dealing with.  And you care, Christine.  That's one of
the most important aspects."

"I do care.  I didn't think I would after Jim."  She looks down.  "And
at night, he's still pretty much all I think about."  She looks back
up and grins.  "But I'm usually so exhausted that I don't think about
him very long."

He laughs. "See.  Progress."

"Right."  She sighs.  "Do you miss him, Matthew?"

"I do.  I truly do."  He leans in.  "I plan to keep tabs on him. 
He'll get bored eventually, and then we'll get him back."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"You'll see.  We will."

They finish their meal, chatting about less weighty matters than the
destruction of the Klingon Empire and the retaking of James T. Kirk.

As he walks her to the main corridor, Matthew says, "I know you miss
him, Christine.  But don't wait for him."

"You just said we'd get him back."

"I know.  But I'm not sure when.  I don't like to think of you alone."
 He seems embarrassed, looks down as he says, "Remember how I always
found my way to the kitchen to help you serve?"

"I remember."

"That was always the best part of the evening for me.  Our time."

She smiles.  It is a sweet thing to say.

He smiles, shrugs.  "And that's enough soul baring for one afternoon. 
I'll see you around."  He gives her a slightly embarrassed grin, then
heads down the corridor.

She goes back to ops, ready for another afternoon of craziness.


End part 2 of 3

--
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Stephen Ratliff
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