I can tell. [ it's not even sarcastic. that just seems to be the kind of man leonard mccoy is, showing his affection and concern through grouchiness. ] I know he's worried about you. [ david never would have said anything if he hadn't had ten years to make certain. after all, the last thing he wants to do is hurt kirk in any way.
he watches the doctor work for several moments, hands curled together loosely atop his padd. at the question, though, he glances toward the older man with a small smile. ] My boyfriend certainly seems to think so lately. [ he uncurls a hand to push his hair back from his face again, then shakes his head. ] --I work a lot, I guess, but I like to do other things, too. I like mountain-climbing, much to Mum's horror. There are some great mountain ranges on New Vulcan. .. I dive, too, but Rish is less enthusiastic about deep water.
[ he stretches his legs out, crossing his ankles lightly. it's.. sort of strange, talking about his hobbies like this with captain kirk of all people. this entire cycle has been.. bizarre. ] Of course.. lately, I've been so involved in Genesis that I haven't had time for much else. I just.. it could change things forever. We're all feeling the weight of it, but.. [ he trails off, then shrugs a little awkwardly. ]
Mountain climbing is great. [ Said with a laugh. You can't pass hobbies on genetically, right? That has to be a coincidence. Some kind of rebellion, since Carol's not the type. ]
You're doing incredible work. I don't know how you balance it and dating somebody, honestly, you're miles ahead of most people twice your age on that front. It's hard, though, putting anything ahead of what you're passionate about.
[ he flashes him another quick smile, a little flustered despite himself. ] I guess I just had to grow up faster than some, that's all.
[ he smooths his fingers atop the padd as he glances back down at it, expression softening with clear affection. ] --And Rish is great. He actually volunteered to go on this rotation so we'd get to spend some time together. [ though between their individual schedules, sometimes they barely see one another in passing. it is what it is, though-- they'd both known what they were getting into.
he shifts, glancing back up curiously. ] Do you do much climbing now?
[ Jim has half a mind to apologize for keeping him-- but this is kind of important. If this boyfriend is worth the effort, he'll understand and deal with it. Though he does make a mental note to investigate how he ended up dating an Enterprise crew member. Huh. ]
Mostly artificial rock walls in gyms. Almost all of our retrofit or repair leave is on starbases, which tend to be fresh out of mountains. The last time I did a stint dirtside, though, I got out some.
[ They're interrupted by McCoy, whose cranky expression is otherwise unreadable. He needs another sample from David; Jim sees the tension across the other man's shoulders, but doesn't ask. ]
[ god, jim, just ask.. it's not a secret. (probably.) ]
I don't get to do it as often as I like. [ a mild admission, coupled with a slightly embarrassed smile. he has to be careful even now-- though he doesn't typically let it stop him entirely. after all, if one activity is out of the question, he can find something else to do. generally speaking.
he glances up as mccoy interrupts, though, letting the older man take his blood again without complaint. he rubs the spot absently as the man steps away again, glance following him for a few moments before turning back to the captain. ] It's a shame you don't get more leave on planets.
If we find the right rock, you never know. [ Jim shrugs, amiable. ] Maybe we'll all get to tour a new planet. Climbing gear is definitely in storage for away missions.
[ Genesis really is an incredible thing. He can see Carol's fingerprints over it like a bright ribbon, and it makes him miss her in an odd way. He hopes she'll be able to make it out if they settle on a test site - that could take ages, though. Exploration doesn't conform to a schedule. ]
We touch down on loads of planets, though. It's ... indescribable, finding new worlds.
[ the comment earns a bright, slightly breathless smile in response. ] .. Yeah. Yeah, we will. [ given a little time to find the right planet with the right conditions for their first planet-wide test.
he takes a breath, then laughs faintly, shaking his head. ] I can't imagine. [ a brief pause, amending himself with: ] No, I can imagine, I guess, and that's why I'm here. That's why I'm doing this. .. Sometimes I still wake up surprised, though.
[ it looks as if mccoy is finishing up, maybe, so david finds himself straightening faintly, fingers tightening around the padd. he knows what he expects to hear, but.. he has to wonder, a little, how the captain is going to react. ] .. God, I hope he wasn't trying to wade through my medical records.
[ Jim's first thought when he heard about the Genesis Project was that it was superfluous, given the number of worlds out there. But then he thought about every destroyed world-- from pollution or plague or war or natural disaster. Instead of displaying populations or risking their demise, they could renew planets.
He's spared fleeting thoughts to the long-term effects, but that's why they're looking for a dustball this far out from the known Federation sectors. ]
I'm glad you'll be getting some experience on that end with us as we search, [ he says. Jim glances back at Bones, then, watching the doctor stare intently at a computer screen behind a glass laboratory door. His six sense tells him something's off, but he can't guess at it. To David: ] Why, what's in your medical records?
[ he stares at the figure of the doctor, knee jittering absently as they wait. the question earns a small snort, though. ] Nothing too exciting anymore, thankfully. They're just extensive.
[ he'll be there for a while if that's what he's doing. which.. it would make a sort of sense if he was, wouldn't it? david's time spent in and out of hospitals probably reinforces what the dna test is telling him. his conception might have been improbable, but he hadn't escaped the effects of that improbability. thankfully for him, his mum had been more determined and more stubborn than nature.
which.. speaking of his mum. ] --You should contact Mum sometime. [ he glances toward him, stilling again, chin tilting faintly. ] I mean.. just to say hi. I feel like she'd enjoy that. [ nothing had technically stopped carol from contacting jim, either, but.. well. she'd clearly had reasons not to. ]
[ Jim just tilts his head, considering that but not prying further. As Captain he's privy to the medical records of everyone who serves on board - even contracted civilians like David and temporary guests, though he'd have to have cause the pull the latter. Same with the CMO. The particular test they're running counts far and away as just cause, he figures.
(My records are extensive too, he thinks.) ]
I reached out a few times, [ he muses. ] But after a while I decided, you know. [ Jim shrugs. ] I wasn't hearing back and she left the 'Fleet. I couldn't commit to anything that felt like I was harassing her.
[ He'd meant what he said earlier: he holds nothing against Carol, and he fully understands and respects the choices she's made. Still, it kinda sucked at the time. He really did have feelings for her. ]
Edited (edited to add MOAR FEELINGS) 2016-08-16 21:10 (UTC)
I don't think she thought that. Just.. [ he trails off, then echoes jim's shrug. ] Well. She had her hands full at the time with me. [ and with all the complicated issues that david presented at any given time simply by existing. ] I honestly don't know when she ever slept the first few years.
[ between work and david's health and research and simply being a mother, that is. david had known early in life that she'd gone to great lengths just to ensure his survival.
she'd definitely had her reasons, then. but.. had jim loved her? he's wondered now and then. given the haunted look his mother had sometimes when he could pry the subject of the enterprise's captain from her lips, he thinks she'd cared for him, at least. ]
.. I'm sorry, though. I know you said you don't blame her, but it still must've been tough not getting any answers.
[ Did Jim love her? Probably, at least in a way. He doesn't think he was in love with her, but he doesn't think he's ever been in love with anyone. Not like Spock and Nyota, Hikaru and Ben, or his mother and the ill-fated George Kirk. Jim's grown up-- he knows he's married to the job, and his heart's out here in space. His closest thing to a life partner is the increasingly irritable chief medical officer in the other room. Yikes. ]
It stung, [ he admits. ] But we hadn't made each other any promises. And the personal part of my life.. compared to my career, it was small, and only getting smaller.
[ Now there's a thought: If he did father a child and knew about it from day 1, what would he do? No exploratory starship is equipped with family quarters. ]
[ yikes indeed. david seems content with the answer, though, turning back to peer down at his feet. ] I guess Mum really did the right thing for both of you, [ he decides at last, thoughtful.
after a moment, though, his lips quirk back up, faintly teasing. ]
In any case, she seems to like nice men now. This one's a therapist, I think. [ he shakes his head. ] He's a little generic, I think, but.. she seems happy with him, so that's all that matters.
[ David's initial remark is jarring to consider, though it doesn't show outwardly. Jim knows he'd have been a disaster of a parent - he'd have wrestled with it and tortured himself, but he wouldn't have given up his career. The only thing that's made him second-guess himself over all these years has been guilt over doing what his father would have wanted: to move up in rank like a good career 'Fleet officer, and be able to settle down. And Jim hated it. Sometimes he thinks of those days after having put in his application for Vice Admiral and the psychological sensation is the terror-relief of having realized at the last second you almost walked off a ledge.
Instead of opening that can of worms, Jim pulls a face. ]
I'm nice.
[ From the laboratory, McCoy chimes: ] My ass you are.
Shut up, Bones.
shrugs and pours a dumb oc npc all over this reply
[ mccoy's interjection earns a quick, startled grin. ] Maybe for a given definition of 'nice'.
[ definitely not the kind of nice his mother is interested in right now. but then, it's been tough for her the last, oh, nearly two decades. is it any wonder that she'd want her life to be a little less complicated now..? ]
David!
[ david jumps, whipping around in shock as a tall, slim figure in a security uniform strides across the medbay toward him. it quickly becomes apparent that he's a few years older than david, a caitian--dark-skinned and -haired, with alarmingly amber eyes--and new to the crew; it'd be hard to miss him if he'd been around long. ]
God, Rish, you scared the shite out of me.
Me? [ clawed hands come down on david's shoulders, and it's clearly a strain on the poor guy not to just shake the blond. ] You weren't answering your comm, the computer said you were in medical, what was I supposed to th-- [ and then he notices kirk and his eyes go nearly comically wide in his face. ] Captain! [ david's boyfriend has a very expressive face. at the moment, it's clearly saying: what the actual fuck is going on here. ]
Captain, [ david says mildly, chin hooking over the other man's forearm as he struggles to keep a straight face, ] Lieutenant Rish. His record's so good that he was allowed to transfer last-minute from the Amaterasu.
[ while david is clearly very proud, rish manages to look some kind of cross between embarrassed, pained, and still very confused. ]
[ Since he's, you know, the captain. Speaking of being the captain: Jim looks faintly amused but he's not smiling - the hard line here is, even if David were his son, he would be afforded no special treatment. ]
Are you listed as one of Dr Marcus's emergency contacts?
[ rish looks like he would honestly rather be anywhere but where he is right now, but he slowly uncurls one hand from david's shoulder, sliding the other briefly over the younger man's nape before allowing it to fall away, too. ]
Ah, yes, Sir. Given the likelihood.. [ a quick, slightly annoyed glance back down at david, which is answered by a small shrug. ] I'm sorry, though, I had no idea you knew.. one another..?
We don't. [ probably better to just get that out of the way. as it is, david knows he's going to have to answer some questions. ] Just.. you know, he and Mum worked together years ago, we ran into one another earlier. Rish-- I promise I'm fine. You can clearly see I'm fine. Unless the captain needs you, you should probably go get some sleep.
[ Jim does smile a little this time, but only faintly. Polite. There's a kind of distance he has to keep with crew he doesn't know-- and now he has to look at this Lt in a different like, wonder if he's going to be reliable if his focus is David. In that way Jim is an incredible captain, and an honestly kind of heartless person; he'll die for anyone on the ship, but no one in particular. ]
If there is a medical emergency, you'd be contacted, then. Not to worry.
[ He waits until the young man's taken his leave, and then shoots David a look. (No eyebrow, he's just not good enough at The Eyebrow to throw his hat in the ring.) ]
Oh, yeah, [ david answers cheerfully, staring after the other man for a few moments before glancing back to jim again. ] I mean, he takes his career seriously. This is just a weird situation for both of us. We're working out the kinks, though. [ he glances down to check the time on his padd, then winces. ] And this one was definitely on me. He's been off-shift a couple of hours now.
[ he'll have questions to answer and apologies to make, actually, though they'll keep for a few hours yet.
his glance rises again, his own brows lifting. ] You can ask his his supervisors if you're worried, though.
[ --Might actually be true. Jim's expression shifts to something more comforting, a look he's had people tell him isn't quite fatherly but something. Captain Kirk, he never loses, he beat death, his confidence is deafening even when he's being gentle, isn't it?
He meets with every crew member, sooner or later. With security it's after they've gone on their first away mission (or, rarely, after they've experienced a hostile boarding if that happens first). He'll meet with Rish eventually, and they'll speak frankly. About a lot of things, apparently.
And then, because there are other rumors about Captain Kirk beyond his improbable heroism: ] He's cute.
Isn't he? [ david looks a little smitten for a half-second before mentally shaking himself. ] Honestly, occasionally I'm a little amazed that he's still interested in me after everything.
[ he supposes it helps that david isn't a so-called 'typical' teenager, and he and rish have always communicated well. ]
Mum still isn't sure about him, but it has less to do with him than with his chosen career and the fact that I'm her only child.
[ There's something kind of warm about it in a way Jim's trying not to feel - if he thinks about flippant things like his tastes for everyone and everything being passed on genetically, he has to think harder about why David's medical records would concern Bones like this. Because if his father was ravaged by radiation, he could have been born with leukemia or a hundred other things.
He forces it out of his head. Bones is going to come back and lecture them both about vitamins and allergies and that'll be all. ]
You know, she was a weapons specialist. Did she ever tell you about the first thing she did on her mission with me? Speaking of reckless Starfleet moments.
[ the question earns a curious, even eager glance, david straightening up in interest. ] She's given me the bullet points of what went on, and of course I've read basically everything available about it, but I know there's a lot that never went into official documents-- a lot of personal testimony and all. [ and more that's so highly classified it would be impossible to find. he's not really expecting that, but.. it would be nice to hear more about his mother from before.. especially like this.
he turns on the bench, tucking a leg beneath himself to give the older man his entire attention. ]
I knew she was a weapons specialist, though. Sometimes when she's bored she starts re-designing phasers.
Carol Marcus, [ Jim begins in a voice that's only a little wry under how amused he is at the memory ] took my chief medical officer down onto a rock to disassemble a live warhead about five minutes after she copped to having forged her transfer papers to get aboard the Enterprise.
[ Then with a chuckle, ] that does sound like her.
[ His fondness for her is obvious. Carol's a hell of a woman, and she impressed him on, honestly, too many levels. ]
The most terrifying surgery I've ever been a part of, [ comes the familiar voice behind them, and david jumps a little, turning back to peer up at the doctor.
bones gives him a reassuring glance, then turns a pointed look on jim. ]
You, my office. [ a beat, then back to david again. ] Stay put, this shouldn't take long.
[ without waiting for a response from either of them, he turns on his heel and strides impatiently back to his office, apparently expecting jim to follow without complaint. david blinks, then glances to the captain, brows arching. ]
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he watches the doctor work for several moments, hands curled together loosely atop his padd. at the question, though, he glances toward the older man with a small smile. ] My boyfriend certainly seems to think so lately. [ he uncurls a hand to push his hair back from his face again, then shakes his head. ] --I work a lot, I guess, but I like to do other things, too. I like mountain-climbing, much to Mum's horror. There are some great mountain ranges on New Vulcan. .. I dive, too, but Rish is less enthusiastic about deep water.
[ he stretches his legs out, crossing his ankles lightly. it's.. sort of strange, talking about his hobbies like this with captain kirk of all people. this entire cycle has been.. bizarre. ] Of course.. lately, I've been so involved in Genesis that I haven't had time for much else. I just.. it could change things forever. We're all feeling the weight of it, but.. [ he trails off, then shrugs a little awkwardly. ]
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You're doing incredible work. I don't know how you balance it and dating somebody, honestly, you're miles ahead of most people twice your age on that front. It's hard, though, putting anything ahead of what you're passionate about.
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[ he smooths his fingers atop the padd as he glances back down at it, expression softening with clear affection. ] --And Rish is great. He actually volunteered to go on this rotation so we'd get to spend some time together. [ though between their individual schedules, sometimes they barely see one another in passing. it is what it is, though-- they'd both known what they were getting into.
he shifts, glancing back up curiously. ] Do you do much climbing now?
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Mostly artificial rock walls in gyms. Almost all of our retrofit or repair leave is on starbases, which tend to be fresh out of mountains. The last time I did a stint dirtside, though, I got out some.
[ They're interrupted by McCoy, whose cranky expression is otherwise unreadable. He needs another sample from David; Jim sees the tension across the other man's shoulders, but doesn't ask. ]
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I don't get to do it as often as I like. [ a mild admission, coupled with a slightly embarrassed smile. he has to be careful even now-- though he doesn't typically let it stop him entirely. after all, if one activity is out of the question, he can find something else to do. generally speaking.
he glances up as mccoy interrupts, though, letting the older man take his blood again without complaint. he rubs the spot absently as the man steps away again, glance following him for a few moments before turning back to the captain. ] It's a shame you don't get more leave on planets.
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[ Genesis really is an incredible thing. He can see Carol's fingerprints over it like a bright ribbon, and it makes him miss her in an odd way. He hopes she'll be able to make it out if they settle on a test site - that could take ages, though. Exploration doesn't conform to a schedule. ]
We touch down on loads of planets, though. It's ... indescribable, finding new worlds.
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he takes a breath, then laughs faintly, shaking his head. ] I can't imagine. [ a brief pause, amending himself with: ] No, I can imagine, I guess, and that's why I'm here. That's why I'm doing this. .. Sometimes I still wake up surprised, though.
[ it looks as if mccoy is finishing up, maybe, so david finds himself straightening faintly, fingers tightening around the padd. he knows what he expects to hear, but.. he has to wonder, a little, how the captain is going to react. ] .. God, I hope he wasn't trying to wade through my medical records.
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He's spared fleeting thoughts to the long-term effects, but that's why they're looking for a dustball this far out from the known Federation sectors. ]
I'm glad you'll be getting some experience on that end with us as we search, [ he says. Jim glances back at Bones, then, watching the doctor stare intently at a computer screen behind a glass laboratory door. His six sense tells him something's off, but he can't guess at it. To David: ] Why, what's in your medical records?
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[ he'll be there for a while if that's what he's doing. which.. it would make a sort of sense if he was, wouldn't it? david's time spent in and out of hospitals probably reinforces what the dna test is telling him. his conception might have been improbable, but he hadn't escaped the effects of that improbability. thankfully for him, his mum had been more determined and more stubborn than nature.
which.. speaking of his mum. ] --You should contact Mum sometime. [ he glances toward him, stilling again, chin tilting faintly. ] I mean.. just to say hi. I feel like she'd enjoy that. [ nothing had technically stopped carol from contacting jim, either, but.. well. she'd clearly had reasons not to. ]
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(My records are extensive too, he thinks.) ]
I reached out a few times, [ he muses. ] But after a while I decided, you know. [ Jim shrugs. ] I wasn't hearing back and she left the 'Fleet. I couldn't commit to anything that felt like I was harassing her.
[ He'd meant what he said earlier: he holds nothing against Carol, and he fully understands and respects the choices she's made. Still, it kinda sucked at the time. He really did have feelings for her. ]
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[ between work and david's health and research and simply being a mother, that is. david had known early in life that she'd gone to great lengths just to ensure his survival.
she'd definitely had her reasons, then. but.. had jim loved her? he's wondered now and then. given the haunted look his mother had sometimes when he could pry the subject of the enterprise's captain from her lips, he thinks she'd cared for him, at least. ]
.. I'm sorry, though. I know you said you don't blame her, but it still must've been tough not getting any answers.
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It stung, [ he admits. ] But we hadn't made each other any promises. And the personal part of my life.. compared to my career, it was small, and only getting smaller.
[ Now there's a thought: If he did father a child and knew about it from day 1, what would he do? No exploratory starship is equipped with family quarters. ]
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after a moment, though, his lips quirk back up, faintly teasing. ]
In any case, she seems to like nice men now. This one's a therapist, I think. [ he shakes his head. ] He's a little generic, I think, but.. she seems happy with him, so that's all that matters.
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Instead of opening that can of worms, Jim pulls a face. ]
I'm nice.
[ From the laboratory, McCoy chimes: ] My ass you are.
Shut up, Bones.
shrugs and pours a dumb oc npc all over this reply
[ definitely not the kind of nice his mother is interested in right now. but then, it's been tough for her the last, oh, nearly two decades. is it any wonder that she'd want her life to be a little less complicated now..? ]
David!
[ david jumps, whipping around in shock as a tall, slim figure in a security uniform strides across the medbay toward him. it quickly becomes apparent that he's a few years older than david, a caitian--dark-skinned and -haired, with alarmingly amber eyes--and new to the crew; it'd be hard to miss him if he'd been around long. ]
God, Rish, you scared the shite out of me.
Me? [ clawed hands come down on david's shoulders, and it's clearly a strain on the poor guy not to just shake the blond. ] You weren't answering your comm, the computer said you were in medical, what was I supposed to th-- [ and then he notices kirk and his eyes go nearly comically wide in his face. ] Captain! [ david's boyfriend has a very expressive face. at the moment, it's clearly saying: what the actual fuck is going on here. ]
Captain, [ david says mildly, chin hooking over the other man's forearm as he struggles to keep a straight face, ] Lieutenant Rish. His record's so good that he was allowed to transfer last-minute from the Amaterasu.
[ while david is clearly very proud, rish manages to look some kind of cross between embarrassed, pained, and still very confused. ]
#good
[ Since he's, you know, the captain. Speaking of being the captain: Jim looks faintly amused but he's not smiling - the hard line here is, even if David were his son, he would be afforded no special treatment. ]
Are you listed as one of Dr Marcus's emergency contacts?
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Ah, yes, Sir. Given the likelihood.. [ a quick, slightly annoyed glance back down at david, which is answered by a small shrug. ] I'm sorry, though, I had no idea you knew.. one another..?
We don't. [ probably better to just get that out of the way. as it is, david knows he's going to have to answer some questions. ] Just.. you know, he and Mum worked together years ago, we ran into one another earlier. Rish-- I promise I'm fine. You can clearly see I'm fine. Unless the captain needs you, you should probably go get some sleep.
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If there is a medical emergency, you'd be contacted, then. Not to worry.
[ He waits until the young man's taken his leave, and then shoots David a look. (No eyebrow, he's just not good enough at The Eyebrow to throw his hat in the ring.) ]
His head in the game?
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[ he'll have questions to answer and apologies to make, actually, though they'll keep for a few hours yet.
his glance rises again, his own brows lifting. ] You can ask his his supervisors if you're worried, though.
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[ --Might actually be true. Jim's expression shifts to something more comforting, a look he's had people tell him isn't quite fatherly but something. Captain Kirk, he never loses, he beat death, his confidence is deafening even when he's being gentle, isn't it?
He meets with every crew member, sooner or later. With security it's after they've gone on their first away mission (or, rarely, after they've experienced a hostile boarding if that happens first). He'll meet with Rish eventually, and they'll speak frankly. About a lot of things, apparently.
And then, because there are other rumors about Captain Kirk beyond his improbable heroism: ] He's cute.
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[ he supposes it helps that david isn't a so-called 'typical' teenager, and he and rish have always communicated well. ]
Mum still isn't sure about him, but it has less to do with him than with his chosen career and the fact that I'm her only child.
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He forces it out of his head. Bones is going to come back and lecture them both about vitamins and allergies and that'll be all. ]
You know, she was a weapons specialist. Did she ever tell you about the first thing she did on her mission with me? Speaking of reckless Starfleet moments.
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he turns on the bench, tucking a leg beneath himself to give the older man his entire attention. ]
I knew she was a weapons specialist, though. Sometimes when she's bored she starts re-designing phasers.
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[ Then with a chuckle, ] that does sound like her.
[ His fondness for her is obvious. Carol's a hell of a woman, and she impressed him on, honestly, too many levels. ]
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bones gives him a reassuring glance, then turns a pointed look on jim. ]
You, my office. [ a beat, then back to david again. ] Stay put, this shouldn't take long.
[ without waiting for a response from either of them, he turns on his heel and strides impatiently back to his office, apparently expecting jim to follow without complaint. david blinks, then glances to the captain, brows arching. ]
I guess I'll stay put, then.
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