We found Love, so did they!

Posted on Thu Aug 30th, 2018 @ 11:44pm by

4,730 words; about a 24 minute read

Mission: Episode 96 - A Visitor From the Past
Location: Mess Hall, Deck 45
Timeline: MD1 1145 hrs

Zeke always seemed to be on the move, and he found that he liked that. He had just completed his meeting with the SOG, and was now on his way to meet up with Anna Woodhouse. He knew he would not have long, both where very busy today on the station. Since Zeke had been gone for six days, he had a lot of meeting to catch up on. the two were meeting up for a early lunch. His SOG meeting started at 1230 hours. And he did not want to go into that meeting starving.

The two agreed to meet at one of the mess halls on the station. Anna was already in line for the replicator. And Zeke joined another line. He thought about cutting the line, to join her. But that would be rude to the others that waited before him. They both went through their lines. Anna had noticed him in the other line, and just gave him a warm smile. Since she was further up in the line. She picked a spot for the two of them to sit.

"How is Ariana doing?" Asked Anna, as she watched take a seat.

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, before sitting down. He gathered his thoughts, and smiled as he put his plate down. "Recouping, surprised your not overseeing her recovery." Said Zeke.

"I am needed on Deck 45 today, they are short staff." Pointed out Anna. She wanted to check in with Ariana, if she had time later. She would stop by. She felt really bad for her. To loose a baby was hard.

Anna still could not get use to the idea of having a child of her own. The idea of a living person growing inside you. Sounded weird to her. She tried her best to shake the idea of her having kids. She loved Zeke, but she was not ready for kids. And they both knew that.

"I hope they are grateful, we were not scheduled back for a few more days." Zeke pointed out to her, as he started in on his plate of food.

"Oh they are, it's nice to be busy. I love the Falcon, but there was very little to do on the ship. The crew was in excellent health at the time." She said, thinking back on her conversation with Ariana.

"So do you want to talk about our next mission?" Asked Anna, wondering if he was keeping something from her. He had a concerned look on his face. The concerned looked could only be one of two things. She hoped he would open.

"It's Jazz, she is distressed, I am feeling it today." He said, wondering what was causing her emotional distress. He could sense it had something to do with John her live in boyfriend.

Anna reached out to grab his hand, "anything I can do to help?" She asked, hoping to help him.

"No sadly, but I appreciate the offer." He said, as he kept a hold of her hand, and ate his food with the other hand.

"Your not alone. I can help you." Anna said, hoping that Zeke would not shut her out. She knew that the emotions of Jazz could be strong.

"I'm okay, I really am. We will get through this." Said Zeke, as he gently squeezed her hand as he looked into her eyes. To show her with his soul, that he was control. Anna had been a big help to him. And he would never consciously keep her out.

"Okay." She said with a small smile on her face. "So Cadet Mattson and Lieutenant Monroe are an item. I did not see that one coming." She said, as hoped Zeke would talk about it.

"Took me by surprise, maybe we had something to do with that. We did make them bunk mates." He said with a small grin.

"Something tells me we might have been the catalyst but they probably found love on their own." Said Anna, trying to be practical.

"I am happy for them, everyone deserves happiness." Zeke said, as he continued to hold Anna's hand. This had been the longest moment he shown pda. Which was rare for the two of them.

He strongly believed that everyone deserved to be happy. There was a time, when he believe he would have found happiness. But he remembered the first time he met Anna and how nervous he was. He knew had come along ways since that first encounter.

Flashback: Location: USS Windhave, Mess Hall/Arboretum
Into the Evening Hours.

Anna took off her apron and set it in the laundry. It was probably silly but she liked the apron and so she kept cleaning it rather than replicating a new one. It fit just right and was comfortable. She reached behind her and unbraided her long dark hair as she left the kitchen, heading back to her quarters for the night. As she came out of the entrance she noticed a figure still sitting in the mess hall.

Anna had been helping out in the mess hall since they were short staff while she was completing her internship. She was tired, when she noticed there was still someone in the mess hall at 2000 hours. It was not common sight.

Zeke was caught up in his datapad, he was going over the day’s entry log and performance reviews for his shift and for Tiz’s shift. She was an exceptional security officer.

she was going to give him a run for his money on being the best marksman on the USS Windhaven. As he sat in the single seat facing away from the mess hall, he had a sense that someone was staring.

He looked over his shoulder, he noticed a young attractive lady looking at him. Her hair was wavy and a dark brown, her eyes were bright blue and sparkled. He wondered what she wanted at first, then he realized it must be closing time. “Closing up, I take it” asked Zeke. He wondered if he had to go.

“Yes, but technically the mess hall is open all hours of the night. I just didn’t expect to see anyone here this late.” Anna answered almost apologizing for disturbing him, instead she said, “Did you need anything else before I leave?”

Zeke first entered the mess hall with having the intention of having diner and hiding in his quarters for the evening. But he had noticed, that he had spent the past two hours in the mess hall. He was not sure what to say, he really did not need anything. But, her voice had an innocent charm, and for some unknown reason, he liked her voice. Which sounded strange, all she asked was, do you need anything, before I leave.

“Dinner was lovely” said Zeke as he grabbed his empty plate and started to walk over to the replicator to replicate the materials, he looked at her and stead, “Do you want me to replicate this plate or wash it in the kitchen” asked Luke, trying to be respectful, this was her area.

“Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it and the replicator is fine.” Anna gave him a small smile. Most of the dishes, except for the few she was attached to, were put in the replicator. “Alright, well, I’ll leave the lights on for you.”

Zeke with his plate in his hand, smiled and started to walk towards the replicator. He stopped halfway to the replicator and asked, “That little bakery treat you gave me earlier today, that was delicious, what was it, if I may ask”

“Oh, well it doesn’t really have a name yet, it’s sort of something I came up with. A kind of pistachio layer cake only I baked the batter in a cupcake pan so they’re individual treats instead. And then I added a cream cheese frosting. An Earth desert made from a kind of seed.” Anna answered him, not wanting to assume that he was from Earth and knew what a pistachio was.

“I appreciate it, that was very good” said Luke as he placed the plate in the replicator and allowed the replicator to complete the rematerialization process. He was happy to see she was still in the mess hall. He debated what to say, this was the first time in a long time that he was able to open up to someone.

He smiled as he asked, he trying to be clever about it. “I am still new here, any recommendations on places to go, if one does not want to be alone” asked Luke, he was not sure if she saw through his ruse, but he was basically asking, if she was alone and pointing out that he was.

He was hoping to get a positive response, or to hear the dreaded the news, she was taken. Knowing his luck, she would have a boyfriend waiting for her. He saw no ring on her finger, even though she looked human, he could not assume lack of a ring was lack of a partner in her life.

“Aside from the obvious ones? The lounge? The holodecks? No, I can’t really say. I’ve spent nearly every day on this ship in the Mess preparing meals. Hasn’t left me much time to socialize with anyone unless they’re allergic to something or want me to add or take out an ingredient.” It was kind of an odd thing to ask, she thought. But she got that he seemed to be pretty nervous for some reason. “My last assignment ended pretty recently and although I was on the ship for the refit, I never got out much.” She missed it to, making friends, having that someone to fall back on after a hard day.

“I know how you feel, I bury myself in my work too” said Luke, which was mostly true, but not because he is super busy, mainly because he needs something to do, to keep focused on. He realized he had been rude. “Where are my manners, my name is Ezekiel Bagwell, Chief Security and Tactical Officer of the Windhaven at you service.” Said Zeke as he fumbled out the words.

“Cadet Anna Woodhouse.” She offered her hand. “No title, 4rth year medical student, also helping out in the mess mall.” She glanced down at the PADD in his hand. “Maybe I should let you get back to work? I wouldn’t want you to blow up an asteroid, because I distracted you.”

He knew he probably should end this encounter on a positive note, but this was the first time in a long time, he was able to have a conversation, even if it was a little awkward. He was finding it natural to talk to her. That was strange. He normally never knew what to say.

Just the other day, he was at the bar with Stasia, and they did not talk for twenty minutes. He did not want this night to end with her. But he was not sure if she was thinking of his time and commitments, or if she was trying to flee from him.

“You're not distracting me, to be honest, I already reviewed it. This is my third time reviewing it, I have nothing else planned, and did not want to go the lounge alone or to my quarters just yet, to be honest, its why I was sitting in the mess hall, and lost track of time” said Zeke, deciding it was time to be honest with her. He hoped his honestly would not scare her.

Anna had been headed to her quarters for the night but since she had stopped and been the reason this conversation started she felt she should see it through. “Well, I don’t object to a little conversation to keep the boredom of everyday life at bay. Do you want to go for a walk? Get a change of scenery?”

“I would love that” said Zeke as he put the small datapad in his pocket, and motioned to the door, “After you” said Zeke, he was trying to debate what his first question to her should be, he had a million questions to ask. He had never felt like this before, it was scary and exciting at the same time.

Anna wasn’t sure where she was going really, she just had the intention of moving and not bringing him anywhere near her quarters. She was usually friendly toward people, even if she didn’t always trust them at first. She’d learned young and just because they wore a uniform didn’t mean they were always perfect gentlemen. “So,” She said, keeping the small talk going. “How did you end up as a Security Chief, Why starships?”

This one question could end the night,he was not sure how to respond to it. He could not hide from reality, but he was not sure if he wanted to start with it. He smiled, with a concern look on his face. “I come from a starfleet family, I wanted to get far away from home as soon as possible” he started to say, debating if he should shut up and not ruin making a new friend, but friendships, can not be made on secrets or lies.

“You're gonna learn, that I am a little antisocial normally and tend to keep to myself, however I have discovered that I find it enjoyable, talking to you,” started off Zeke as he realized he was rambling away from telling her the truth. He continued on “I joined starfleet, because I was angry at my father for leaving my family, when I was ten, I wanted to see for myself, why starfleet was more important to him than me,” said Zeke, as he realized this was the first time he ever told anyone the truth, that was not his therapist.

Panic hit his face, but this was good thought Luke. It was scary, he felt so vulnerable. He was surprised that he was not running away, he was not a deer in headlights either. The two of them started to walk slowly down the corridors. He noticed she was silent. She appeared to be giving him the floor. He appreciated that.

“I learned I like starfleet, but I still do not understand why he left, so I wanted to join a deep space cruiser, sadly my father is not in favor of me joining starfleet, he wants me to resign,” said Luke.

He laid it all out on the line, was she going to run, was she going to flee? She would have every right to flee, he was a basket case, and just because he could talk to her, was not enough validation for her not to be concerned. She should be, and Luke knew that.

Her eyebrows quirked up at this but Anna didn’t stop walking. That was quite the revelation. Had it made her uncomfortable, slightly but when she glanced at him she thought he looked as if he was about to have a panic attack. “That’s quite the story,” she finally answered him. “I don’t anything nearly as personal to tell you. I became a medical student because I want to help people and helping out in the mess hall cause deep down I love to cook, always have, especially bake. No deep reasoning. I mean I guess it could be from the fact I grew up an orphan. I suppose being able to have those ingredients around me to make something special was a great comfort.” She shrugged, brushing a bit of hair out of her face.

“I’m sorry, I did not mean to be insensitive, I can not imagine how it felt” started off Zeke, as he felt like a jerk, for mentioning his daddy issues. He tried to rebound the conversation. “For what’s it worth, I think you're a great Chef, and glad to have you aboard“ he said, hoping that made up for his insensitivity towards the fact, she was an orphan.

“You didn’t know,” Anna waived his apology away. “Besides, I don’t really remember them anyway.” It hadn’t been all bad. She’d always had someone looking out for her, enough food to eat and clothes to wear. “And thank you.” He’d only tried a couple of things that she knew she had made, though there could have been more. “It’s dangerous to complement a Chef.” She teased lightly, “We need a lot of victims to taste stuff for us.”

“I am more than happy to sample any food, you want to introduce to the crew.” He loved the fact that it was very easy to talk too her. He decided he wanted to be her friend at this moment, he hoped she would feel the same way eventually.

He wondered if she was still nervous, he would be if a total random stranger, he just met to him what he told her. However he was very proud of himself, for the first time, he considered someone else’s feelings and could see past his daddy issues, this was a big step, he wish he could share it with her, but it would not be appropriate the thought, so he would share it with True Keading his therapist.

He wanted to learn more about her, he spent 16 years trying to resent his father, and here was a woman that did not have her parents in his life. It was a sudden wake up call. He knew there were people out there in the universe that were orphans. This was the first time he met an orphan. Offering to be a taste test victim, may score him some brownie points, and hopefully strike up a friendship.

“I might take you up on that.” She gave a simple nod. “Not tomorrow because I already have the meals planned. But maybe the day after? If you have some free time of course.” Not only would she have him taste things but he could help her in the kitchen as well. “I’ll teach you a few things as well,” it was decided then. “I’ll send you a message, let you know what time you can meet me in the mess hall.”

“I would like that” he said, thinking to himself, anything to spend more time with her. Plus he liked her cooking, could be interesting experience for him. Learning how to cook, he helped his mom around the kitchen growing up.

They continued to walk for a bit, “I was hoping to check out the new arboretum, it’s on deck 6” pointed out Zeke, as he got nervous as he asked “Do you want to check it out with me, this will be my first time seeing it, it's brand new and I was told it's pretty amazing, a lot of the bridge crew, were talking about it” said Zeke, waiting to hear her answer.

Anna had been about to say that she should head to bed. It was getting late and she had to be up early if she wanted to be on time for breakfast. She thought about his request and his earlier admission that he was anti-social. It could not have been easy to ask and as uncomfortable as his admission had made her he couldn’t really be dangerous right? I mean he was serving on a starship. Didn’t they have to pass mental health evaluations when starting a new assignment. Suddenly she realized her silence was probably startling him. “All right. Sure. But then I really should go.”

“I understand, you probably should get some rest, I would not the first officer or the captain to be upset me for keeping the chef up past her bedtime, I really enjoyed our little walk, may I escort you to the turbolift, a way of saying good night” suggested Luke, he knew it was inappropriate for him to walk her to his door. They had just met. They were not dating, and she had probably had some reservations about him. He wanted to end this wonderful encounter on a good note.

He noticed the Windhaven was missing something, and it was really bothering him. The place needed an arboretum. He wanted to share his idea with someone. He seemed able to open up to her, so he thought to himself, why not ask, the worse she can say is no. “This might be a little forward, but I was hoping to show you my idea for a new arboretum a place where we all can walk, and talk, a social gathering place, I know sounds strange coming from me, Mister anti-social” nervously said Luke.

She chuckled. “I said yes, but just a quick walk around the arboretum. Then off to bed. Well, me off to my bed not . . . Anyway,” she changed the subject back quickly. “Show me.”

He tried to not smile at the implication she made, maybe she was a little nervous. He was so relieved that she wanted to check out the new arboretum. For Luke, he wanted to see what all of the hype on the bridge was about. He hoped her nervousness was in a good way, maybe she liked him enough to become friends.

Zeke started to walk towards the turbolift. They both walked in. He called out “Deck six.” The doors to the turbolift closed and the lift started to proceed towards deck six. The trip through the turbo lift was not very long, but it was a silent ride. He needed to re-spark the conversation, but he was not sure how to recover from her cute little nonexistent implication.

The doors to the turbo lift open up. Zeke and Anna walked over to the holodeck, “Computer run Bagwell proposal 1” he called out.

“Program ready, enter when ready” said the Computer. They walked into the holographic room that was transformed into the holodeck.

Anna followed along after Luke, letting him enter first. Once they were inside and she’d seen what he created, she smiled, reaching down to touch the petal of a flower. “Feels very real. Kind of amazing, I mean it will be once it’s finished.” She walked along the path, him following along behind her.

They made it to one of the four entrances to the arboretum. He walked in with Anna, and his eyes filled with enjoyment. “Wow” he said, “I can not speak for the crew, I hope they want to build this, assuming Captain David approves the plan” he said, his eyes were searching the entire room. He looked around for a moment. He was very amazed, and as he spun his head around the room, he made eye contact with Anna.

She looked amazing, he had been so concerned trying not to fumble this encounter, he never really allowed himself the moment to really take a look at her. As lovely as this room was, it did not compare to her. Her curly hair flowed past her shoulders and she was taking in the view as well. He wanted to tell her, how pretty she looked but he did not want to ruin the moment, and she was about to leave for the night.

He went back to looking at the arboretum. The room was big in the middle of the room was a pond with a few fish. There was grass, and trees, and some benches all the way around. There was a well established trail in the room. This place was pretty amazing to look at.

He walked over to the pond area, and watched the little fish swim around. He finally spoke, he was happy she shared this moment with him. “Thank you for accompanying me, I have enjoyed your company, I hope look forward to helping you in the kitchen and being you sample tester” said Luke with a warm smile on his face.

He was so scared, and excited, and was not sure how to process these emotions. He needed to talk to True Keading, how could he so vulnerable? What was happening to him, he was not sure, but he liked it.

“You’re welcome,” Anna replied, taking a moment to watch him. She’d been pretty silent since she’d agreed to come here. To be honest she wasn’t entirely sure what was going on with him. Hadn’t he said he was antisocial? And yet he seemed very . . . drawn to her. “Zeke?” She asked. “Was this a date?” It didn’t hurt to ask right? Hopefully her question didn’t freak him out. This was certainly the strangest evening she’d spent in a long time. But, maybe a little different routine wouldn’t hurt her. Spending all her days cooking and her nights curled up with a good book probably wasn’t the best way to live a fulfilling life.

Her question got his attention. He slowly turned to face her, he smiled as he said “No, this was not a date, I can assure you, I would give more effort than simple stroll through the decks of the Yorktown” said Luke, being a little defensive. He thought to himself, stop that, do not ruin this, keep yourself together.

“I enjoyed your company, but as I told you, I am a little anti social, tonight was me reaching out and making a new friend” he said, in honesty, he wanted more, but he did not want to scare her. Somehow, she got him to open up, like one ever has. He was confused and excited both in one.

He liked her, he knew that, and he would love to take her on a date, despite the fact, he had never been on date, he had read several novels about relationships, he had ideas on how to plan a date. And he would love to take her on an official date, some time soon.

His hands slightly shook, he was nervous, he did his best to hide the fact. This was unchartered waters for him. He did his best not to look away from her eye contact, this was a serious topic. And it needed to be discussed. He was glad she brought it up.

“Good enough.” Anna answered him with a nod, not sure if she completely believed him. There was something going on in that head that needed sorted out, she decided. Then she checked her chronometer. “I really should go. No one wants to eat food I’ve prepared half asleep.” She took a step away from him and then turned back. “I’ll see you later then.” Suddenly she was back right next to him, standing on her tiptoes she kissed him on the cheek, something she was not known for doing but had, for some reason, given into the impulse. As Anna left she wondered if she would later regret it. She’d never led anyone on before in her life and she really didn’t know this ‘Zeke’, so many things could go wrong, letting him get close.

Zeke and Anna had come so far together, and were deeply in love. It was exciting to see a new couple just starting their romance. New love was powerful. And hopefully it will help Ariana get through the loss of one of the children. Loosing a twin would be hard on the mother. He was happy that Marcus would be there to help her out.

Anna was there to help Zeke, when he needed it. And it appeared Marcus was going to be there to help Ariana. Zeke sat silently, thinking how lucky he was to have met Anna, it all started in a mess hall late one night. Now it was ironic they were talking about new love in a mess hall.

'If we can make it, I am pretty sure they will too." Said Anna as she grabbed his hand too. She was proud of him. She knew that Zeke was not big on public displays of affection. Especially in public. He had come so far.

Zeke reached up to give her a kiss as the scene ends.

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