Clearing the Air (Backpost)

Posted on Mon Oct 21, 2019 @ 5:23am by Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant AJ Taggart & Lieutenant JG Camille Lévesque PhD

3,047 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Nibiru
Location: Camille's Quarters
Timeline: Before Divide and Conquer

After the analysis run on the data they received, AJ proceeded to Deck 15, on which a cargo bay had been cleared out for his people to set up a makeshift SRU Operations Center with a bank of screens against one bulkhead and various racks and lockers of weapons and gear that was available at a moments notice. At the far end, there was a prefabricated conference area with shuttered doors that could lock them and become a passable Secure Confidential Information Facility or SCIF. Taking his rifle off the rack, he placed it on the conference table and clicked the small power selector all the way back. Pressing a small button behind the stock, he deftly disassembled the rifle, placing each part on a small mat to keep it all together. Picking up the barrel, he looked through it and pressed a small cloth with cleaning fluid into the opening, sliding it through with his finger and following up with a small metal rod. Satisfied that it was clean, he gently set it back down on the table. Next, he picked up the beam assembly and an isomagnetic alignment device. Adjusting the intensity setting, he pressed the button and watched the assembly adjust itself until the focusing crystal was properly straightened and smoothed. This was AJ's ritual- the one constant activity that allowed him to calm down and focus on the important things.

After an eternity of carefully measured movements, AJ completed the reassembly of the rifle and walked it back over to the rack, clicking it back into place. With a sigh, he walked around aimlessly throughout the bay, watching his team go about their daily routine in the absence of a mission. With his thoughts beginning to race again, he walked out of the bay and over to a panel on the wall. "Computer, what is the location of Dr. Anderson?"

The computer beeped an affirmative. "Doctor Anderson is located in Crew Quarters, Deck 2, Section Charlie."

AJ began to walk away and stopped in his tracks. That wasn't where Nicole's quarters were the last time he was aboard. Walking towards the turbolift, he stepped inside.

"Deck Two. Section C." The turbolift shot upward and AJ took the moment to think and sort out his own thoughts. As the lift slid to a stop, the doors slid open to reveal an empty corridor. He walked out and counted the doors, reading the identification plaques on each one. Stopping as he saw a familiar name, he stopped and tapped the door chime.

“Entrez!” came a familiar sounding woman’s voice. The door slid open, revealing Camille Lévesque sitting on her sofa, wearing flannel pyjamas, a PADD in one hand and two cups of tea on the table in front of her. “Ah, Monsieur Taggart! Come in; can I help you with something?”

AJ's face relaxed slightly and stepped inside. "I'm just here for our friendly neighborhood Doctor," he said, a hint of humor punctuating his voice.

The door to Camille's washroom opened and Nicole's voice drifted out. "You know, I keep telling myself I need to get my hair trimmed, but I'm starting to like it this length. Maybe I should--" she stopped as she came back into the main room and stopped dead, hairbrush halfway through a stroke, and just stood there in her off duty tee, shorts and socks. Her face couldn't get much paler, but it tried. "Hello," she said.

"Hi, Nic," AJ said, his voice growing softer as he turned so that both of them were in his field of view. "Do you guys have time for a bit of dinner?" he asked quickly.

Nicole walked over and looked at Camille, a small, hopeful smile on her face.

Camille wasn’t sure, but they hadn’t eaten yet, and she understood how much this meant to Nicole. And she couldn’t say no to that smile. “Um, give us a few minutes to get dressed?” she said. “We can eat here? Or did you want us to meet you somewhere?”

Nicole suddenly realized how dressed down they were and blushed heavily, her skin reaching normal shade.

AJ blushed a bit himself at the sight of Nicole. "That's completely up to you. Granted, I don't think the officer's mess is too crowded right about now." he said calmly before stepping back towards the door. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll wait outside while you two make your decision," he said, pointing slightly to the door as he walked out into the much brighter corridor and watched the doors slide shut behind him.

As the doors closed and removed him from sight, Nicole finally dared to exhale. "I um...." she cleared her throat. "Cami, I know you're being your usual, sweet, generous self, but you are under absolutely no obligation to entertain a dinner invitation and I will happily spend tonight here as we planned."

A few seconds passed before Camille was shaken from a miniature, expertly-concealed panic attack to respond. “No, it’s fine,” she said. “I know he’s an old friend. He served here a long time ago, right? You knew him well?” She wouldn’t betray Penny to say that she knew about her past relationship with AJ. And while it pained her to have such thoughts, part of her wanted to see how Nicole answered. Whether she would tell the truth.

Nicole looked into Camille's eyes, then her expression suddenly changed to a hard, scolding look and she folded her arms over her chest. "Stop it," she said.

“Stop what?” Camille asked, a bit annoyed. Why am I being called out? You’re the one whose ex is on board.

"You're doing that thing," she said.

“What thing?” Camille replied, now more confused than annoyed. I do a thing?

"That thing where you pretend everything's all dovey, but you're actually reciting swear words in your head," Nicole said, and sighed. "Although, you've more reason to be annoyed than just losing an evening." She glanced at the door. "He's not just an old friend."

She winced, seeing Camille's eyes crinkle. *Just hit the "f's",* Nicole thought. "T'hy'la," she said gently, taking Camille's hand, "remember I said I'd been involved with two other people? He was one. It was dating, that's all. The occasional dinner, a game in the holodeck. Only managed to have a proper snog once in our entire relationship, and that is as far as it went. We never even spoke about any formality in the relationship. And then he left...twice. He still cares for me, and, yes, I care about him, and perhaps I always will, but alongside that emotional nostalgia is the knowledge that he and I can have a row just as easily as a conversation, and that's not what I want in a relationship." She looked at the door again, then back at Camille. "Besides," she said. "I far prefer blondes." She grinned cheekily.

Camille couldn’t help but giggle at her cheeky comment. “Je t’aime aussi, Nicole,” she said. “Thank you for being up front with me.” She gave her girlfriend a gentle kiss. “You should definitely talk to him. Have dinner. Clear the air. Do you want me to come too? I’m as happy to join you as I am to stay in tonight.”

"Maybe..." Nicole said hesitantly. "I would like you with me though. And I would love for him to get to know you. Maybe we can have the best of both worlds and just have a quiet dinner here?"

Camille nodded. “Let’s get some proper clothes on and let him back in.”

"Shame," Nicole said, with a devilish grin. "I think he might be disappointed."

Camille smirked and walked to her dresser and pulled out a blue short-sleeved shirt and a black skirt. “If you don’t want to put your uniform back on, you could borrow something, or replicate something. Or maybe start leaving an outfit or two here for next time?”

Nicole lit up with a smile. "I'll have to do that," she said and quickly replicated a simple, short, forest green dress and threw it on. "All right," she said, taking a breath. "Ready."

“Come on in, AJ,” Camille called out to the door.

AJ stepped inside again and found Nicole and Camille were quite well dressed, a stark contrast to his grey fatigues. Attempting to speak, he simply let out a slight cough. Recovering, he cleared his throat a bit. "So what's the plan?" he inquired

“If you can please bring that chair,” she pointed to a chair in the corner of her bedroom, which normally had clothes on it but today was clear, “to the table, we’re going to eat dinner here. Nicole will replicate us something. How does that sound?”

Walking over to the chair, AJ lifted it with one hand and swung it around, deftly lowering it in front of the table. Taking a seat, he smiled a little at the both of them, trying to keep things light.

"And before you answer," Nicole said, "know that I've been working on my replicator skills. I can produce meals that are downright edible now," she said, smiling slightly.

Camille laughed and, taking her seat, looked back and forth between AJ and Nicole. “Okay, there’s a story there, and no one leaves my room until I’ve heard it!” she declared.

AJ motioned to Nicole. “You might not want me to tell that story, Nic.” he said slyly, recalling an occasion where one of Nicole’s forays into replicated cooking had resulted in something unidentifiable but not entirely inedible. He started to run the index finger of his left hand along the glass surface of the table.

Nicole got a wry smile. "Thanks for letting me save some face," she said, walking to the replicator. "AJ had suggested I try replicating something from scratch, rather than a preprogrammed pattern. After all, I've got knowledge of chemistry, nutrition, et cetera, what could go wrong? Well as it turns out, quite a bit. I can't tell you what came out of there, but it tasted almost palatable. AJ was very brave and ate four whole forkfulls before he turned green." She patted his hand affectionately. "I wanted to submit his name for the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor for his bravery, but he insisted it was 'fine.' I made it through about one forkful, threw it all back into the recycler and profusely apologized for even attempting it. And that is why I stick to the replicator's menu from now on."

She nimbly activated the panel and brought up the menu listings, replicating them each a plate with a simple steak, mashed potatoes and a mix of summer Earth vegetables. She brought them to Camille and AJ, then replicated an extremely rare one for herself. She then quickly walked over to Camille's storage cabinet and pulled out one of her bottles of liquor and placed it on the table with three glasses, and sat down. She looked at them and smiled, picking up the bottle and pouring out. "There we are," she said. "Edible, as promised."

"Looks fantastic," said Camille. She picked up the bottle that Nicole had selected. "Chartreuse Jaune, 2384. I bought that when I was living in Paris. It's mild and sweet." She smiled at her two guests, set the bottle down, and lifted her glass. "Santé!"

"Muhl'es," Nicole said, raising hers as well.

AJ raised his glass slightly. "Semper Gumby" he said, with a slight flourish before he took a sip of the slightly sweet liquid. Setting the glass down, AJ deftly sliced into his steak with the knife. Popping the piece into his mouth, he chewed thoughtfully for a moment, catching the notes of salt and pepper. As he swallowed, he looked over to Nicole and Camille and smiled slightly. "This is actually pretty good. If we ever get back to Earth, I'll show you the real thing. They actually breed cows where I'm from- but they're bigger in a place called Texas." he said offhand, moving to the potatoes and taking a small forkful.

"Why are they bigger there?" Nicole said. "Are there size restrictions in certain areas?"

"Well, no. It's just the farmers in Texas have been breeding them for longer, so they tend to have their own secrets to make them grow larger. They also have more land, so it gives their cows more space to roam. Granted, they say that everything's larger in Texas" he said, taking another bite of his steak.

"Oh, so that's why you have the word "Texas" stitched onto your boxer shorts," Nicole said, grinning wickedly.

Camille practically choked on her bite of steak when she heard Nicole’s joke, and had to hold her hand to her mouth and finish her mouthful before laughing uncontrollably.

AJ blushed, his face turning a rather bright shade of crimson. "Now, Nic. I thought we'd never tell anyone about that" he said playfully, reaching over and nudging her arm.

Camille smiled warmly at the two. She understood they had a history, and while she found herself a bit jealous, she didn’t feel all that threatened.

Nicole grinned, seeing him blush, and the fact that he played along warmed her and her mood lightened considerably. She looked at Camille both to gauge her mood given the joke, and just to be able to connect with her. Their eyes met and she smiled wider. The rest of dinner went much the same, with some light banter and a bit of catching up. Eventually they took their glasses to the couch and sat down, Nicole tucking her legs under her and leaning against the back of the couch to face them. "So," she said as they settled, "what is it that brought you here? What did you want to talk about, AJ?" She gave him a supporting smile.

Straightening up, "Well, I wanted to tell you a little about what I was pulled away to do for the past year and a bit about why I came back. I know it's a sore subject, so I figured I'd leave it all out in the open, clearances be damned." AJ said, his sly smile returning.

Nicole glanced at Camille and then back at AJ. "Normally I would never miss an opportunity to skirt the rules," she said, "but that subject isn't as sore as you think. Why you left...well that's as much my fault as any orders handed down. I know what happened between us then, and I don't care what Starfleet has to say on the matter. As to why you've returned, I'm just glad you did so in one piece." She put her hand on his and squeezed it, then moved in and gave him a strong hug.

Camille was glad Nicole wasn’t a telepath and was looking away, because her discomfort grew tremendously. She trusted Nicole, but this was getting to be a bit much. “I for one would like to hear what happened,” she ventured.

Nicole blushed hard with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said and gestured to AJ. "Please continue."

AJ waved nonchalantly. "Initially, I was reassigned as General Mitchell's N2- Intelligence officer but after a run-in with some raiders, he decided to let me start the SRU, which you've probably seen roaming the decks." he said, twirling another isolinear chip in his fingers.

“I was wondering what they were all about,” Camille admitted. “So they’re your people? Have you had any major successes or breakthroughs? That you can share, at least?”

AJ shrugged. "A few of each- we realized rather quickly that we couldn't save everyone. Right before we got here, we were sent to a hostage situation- a rather annoyed terrorist decided to threaten to blow up a Federation starship and a few hostages along with it. We managed to breach the area and neutralize the target. Granted, she tried to set off some explosives first, but we survived with a minimal loss of life for the good guys.”

Nicole couldn't help herself. She got up and came around to the other side of the couch, sitting next to Camille. That protective instinct kicked in and the thought of the dangers to their ship made her want to keep Camille close. She took her hand and held it, giving it a squeeze and frowned when she saw her expression. "T'hy'la, are you all right?"

Leaning forward, AJ fought the urge to try to help lest he make things worse. "Maybe I should go." he said softly as he rose from the couch.

"Hang on," Nicole said, and looked back at Camille. "This is my fault, isn't it," she said, frowning. "I'm sorry if I'm being overly familiar." She glanced at AJ and blushed. "One of my faults."

“Non, non, non,” Camille replied, trying to brush it off. However uncomfortable she had been feeling, she felt worse that she was being immature about this. “Don’t be sorry. He’s someone you were close with once. I’m the one with the hang-ups, apparemment.. Now it looks like we’re finished eating, so let’s clean up, consider dessert, and end this evening well instead of with an uncomfortable ex boyfriend and an irrational current girlfriend.”

Nicole sighed and looked at her, then at AJ. "A moment?" she said. When he turned his head, she looked at Camille and kissed her softly, leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Je t'aime et seulement toi." She sat back and smiled and kissed her again. "Thank you, AJ," she said, smiling at him as he turned back around.

She looked back at Camille. "Thank you for your patience," she said, then looked at AJ. "And thank you for sitting down with us tonight. I'm glad you two could meet, and I want you both to know how fortunate I feel."

She patted AJ's hand, then leaned over and kissed Camille's cheek and stood up to get them something sweet to finish a nice evening before the mission ahead.

 

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