Una [Number One] (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} tothestars) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} chances_rpg,@ 2025-05-04 08:54:00 |
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Who. Christopher Pike & Una Chin-Riley
When. During the Enterprise plot
Where. While on Vulcan
What. They're stressed AF. And comfort each other. They're the other's anchor.
Warnings. Suggestive, FTB
"The Enterprise is my home. Has been since I stepped foot on her. You know that. But - and let me make this clear - more than any ship, any ranch, any cabin, you, Una Chin-Riley, are my home."
When. During the Enterprise plot
Where. While on Vulcan
What. They're stressed AF. And comfort each other. They're the other's anchor.
Warnings. Suggestive, FTB
“Spock said this was a must-try.” He poured the green liquid into two glasses and passed one to his first officer. “We both need a drink or three after those discussions.”
Una cocked an eyebrow after she eased her away-jacket off her shoulders and draped it alongside Chris' green uniform top. "Spock says?" she asked and then both eyebrows rose as she gave a small sort of... impressed waggle of her head was probably the best way to describe it. Chris wasn't wrong and she worked the gold-colored uniform off next, leaving the black tank beneath. She hadn't needed to dress up in any way, not for what the talks were about. But they were exhausting nonetheless because no one understood how any of it could have happened in the first place.
Science and Engineering were fascinated, of course. Not only by what had already happened but by what could be gained from figuring it all out. Una accepted the drink and frowned at the green colored liquid, considering, before looking up at Chris with a resigned sigh. "How quickly are we downing the first one and how intent are you upon trying to stress-cook next?" Una asked. Because there were certain drinks that were probably best not imbibed if one was looking to then use sharp utensils, open flames, or hot pans.
“He may have been passing along the recommendation from Sarek or Amanda,” Chris admitted, clinking his glass against Una’s before taking a sip. The green tint had him wary, but the taste was subtle and complex, like many things on Vulcan. It didn’t burn like moonshine, but he could tell that it packed a punch.
“Stress cooking can wait till morning. It’d be rude not to eat the food they provided.” He grabbed a platter of appetizers and carried it out on the balcony, setting it on the coffee table before flopping down on the couch with a grunt, letting his head fall back. “I’ve half a mind to see if we can finish the bottle. No one’s expecting us till lunch tomorrow.”
She followed suit with the wordless salute of their glasses. The sip she took was less caution and more curiosity. It was difficult to stay drunk since her metabolism would kick into gear to rid her body of the 'toxins' she had ingested. Una didn't immediately follow Chris, instead stopping long enough to take her boots off, peeling her socks off and stuffing them inside for the time being. Una would handle it all later but she wanted her bare feet on the floor and to feel just a little of the stress melt away with even that much less of the uniform.
It left her in the black pants of the duty uniform, of course, and the black undershirt. Una took up her glass again and dropped down beside Chris to stare out at the view of the Vulcan sky. She didn't say it, didn't mention that she was relieved they hadn't run into any actual problems thus far. The pink coloration was strange, especially since it hadn't been all-encompassing, and the werewolf situation had been stressful until they'd managed to clear two decks and everyone had gotten out unscathed (or as near to it as possible). But she had no idea how they were going to get their people home.
The pang she felt at that word was complicated and Una felt herself shift so a bare shoulder made contact with Chris. "Toss in my own half a mind to finish it and we've got a whole idea," Una muttered into her glass.
His eyebrow arched at the touch, only out of surprise. He didn’t mind in the least, but Starfleet tended to make them avoid public displays of affection. “An excellent whole idea,” Chris chuckled. After all, wasn’t April always telling them to relax and take their shore leave?
Glancing at Una’s bare feet, Chris smiled. “I think you have the right idea.” He set his glass on the table, pulling off his boots and socks and setting them to the side before settling back, draping an arm along the back of the sofa behind Una and taking a long sip of the Vulcan liquor. “They’ll figure it out, right? Between the Vulcan science academy, and our people? Lie to me, please.”
Her chuckle was more of an exhale and a light buck within her chest instead of something louder. Somehow it was more honest, though, because their agreement of what made up a 'whole idea' was ridiculous. And it was them. Named maneuvers, knowing where one was in the middle of a fight, trusting the other without question...
It was why she couldn't lie to him even while he asked her to. Even while they both knew she was lying for both their sakes just for a moment of fragile, false optimism. "It might not even be science," Una whispered. Every muscle in her body felt tight with the stress that had been compounding the longer everyone had been on the Enterprise. She should have loved being back on the ship; she should have been elated at being able to show it off to people she cared about. None of them had any choice in the matter and half of the ship had been filled with people who'd never agreed to enlist in Starfleet. There were children.
"If we can't get this figured out, they can be absorbed into a colony or a starbase. Or sent to Earth," Una said softly and her eyes went unfocused. "They'll have options, even if they'll balk at them. Hate them. Hate us." Una took a quick, large swallow of the drink in her hand and looked at Chris with too much worry in her eyes. She cared about every single soul on that ship and she knew he did, even if he didn't know nearly as many yet.
There had been a moment when Chris had hoped she would lie. Just reassure them both that everything would be okay. But that wasn’t Una. It wasn’t him, either. It was why he’d picked her to be his Number One, because she wasn’t afraid of calling him out or disagreeing with him. He thought back to the lecture he gave to her Academy class and how she’d called him out. And the long discussion they’d had about his test flights at the pub that night.
If this wasn’t caused by science. Something they could control. Chris didn’t really want to think about it. Her tone caught his attention and he turned to her, his hand coming up to cup her face, thumb stroking her cheek. “Una…” he whispered. Colonies. Starbases. He couldn’t leave them stranded here. They couldn’t let them be stranded here. “Then I guess we’ll just have to figure it out, won’t we? Can’t have that many people hating the best first officer in the fleet.”
Una's expression fell into something that was a little more exasperated but she didn't pull away. Her free hand came up to rest on his arm, just above his wrist but there was no weight behind the motion to push his hand down. "I don't care if they hate me, Chris. I mean, I do... but not for any sort of popularity." It wasn't necessary to say the words, sure, but she wanted them out there. Where fun goes to die, sure, but Una loved with her whole heart and that meant caring about people who would never even know her.
When she swallowed again, it was because her throat had suddenly gone dry with emotion unbecoming of an officer of her rank. But this wasn't a heat of the moment battle where they were trying to make decisions that would mean one second of delay would cost them too many lives. This, unfortunately, was a span of time that allowed her the emotions of the stress that was getting to her. "I don't know what we're going to do," Una said and her fingers pressed a little harder into the captain's arm. Desperate. Scared. And far too sober.
Chris set his glass down absently on the table so his other hand was free, allowing him to cup Una’s face with both his hands, his touch gentle but firm, making sure she knew that he would always be there for her. Except he hadn’t been, had he? She’d been in San Francisco for two years. “Clearly my jokes need work. Or I need to become a better liar.”
“Listen to me, Una. I have no fucking clue how we’re going to get everyone home. But tonight we’re going to drink this green liquor and eat Vulcan delicacies, maybe get drunk, turn our comms off, and sleep. Because I know you need it as much as I do, Illyrian physiology be damned. Then, I’m going to make pancakes in the morning. Late morning. We’ll meet with the delegations again over lunch and go from there. We’ve dealt with so much and we always get through, don’t we? And hey, we might not even need Alpha Braga IV this time.”
It wasn't comfortable, the way she was only partially turned and she needed to let Chris attempt to fix something in the moment. Even if it was just fitting the sliver of strength she'd somehow dropped when the façade had finally cracked. So she turned a little, bringing a knee up further onto the couch. Una kept her hand where it was but her other tucked against her and her knuckles had gone white around the glass she still held.
And it was somehow easier to relax just a little when he admitted that he didn't know how they were going to get through it this time. Even dropped the Boy Scout armor long enough to casually curse. He was right, of course. They had dealt with so much, separately and at each other's sides, and they somehow always managed to get through it. Una had never lost hope that they would get through what Chris was so certain was waiting for him in the future. And all of that meant that she needed to believe that they would get through this.
Right up until he mentioned Braga IV and her eye roll couldn't be matched by any mere mortal. "Chris," she admonished but couldn't help the way her eyes closed with a quiet laugh, head turning just a little without actively meaning to dislodge his touch. He'd startled the laugh out of her because of his stupid ideas that somehow managed to work when all of the odds were stacked against them. When her eyes met his again, there was just a little less worry in them and a little more faith. "Fine," she said. By which, of course, she meant thank you.
He smiled at her then, that boyish half smile that was one of their ways of checking in on each other, to ask Are you really okay? Of course, that was a stupid question. Because neither of them was okay. But they’d made it through worse. Or well, equivalently bad if different stuff. “Unless, of course, Alpha Braga IV is the key to getting everyone home. I mean, it worked with the Orion pirates…”
He let out a soft breath as he shifted closer, letting his head rest against hers. “Even if we have to open some weird wormhole to get everyone back, we’ll do it. I give you my word. Not going to give up on getting them home.” Even if it meant contacting Georgiou and 31. Or the Klingons. He’d leave no stone unturned.
“Now, more importantly, your glass is still too full, so shake a leg and catch up.”
Getting them home. There was that pang again. Una's eyes squeezed shut for a moment, the space between her brows scrunching tightly. With his forehead pressed against hers, it wasn't easy to see the moment of weakness and the touch was easy to explain away or not even notice. When they did pull away again, Una dutifully lifted her glass to drain it but didn't change her position on the couch. Instead, she pulled her other leg up and leaned against the back. The position would have looked vulnerable if not for the way she gave a small smirk and held out the empty glass in silent demand.
The thoughts were all still there, swirling and snarling and accusatory. Vicious whispering. They would fail, those voices said, and it would be her fault. Somehow. Even if Chris tried to take the blame, Una would fall on that sword. There was the barest twitch of her eyebrow and she gave a small wiggle of the glass she held out. "Shake a leg," Una smirked.
Chris shifted, reaching for the bottle and refilling both their glasses. “Bossy bossy,” he teased, studying her as he set the bottle back on the table. Resettling himself on the couch, he let his hand rest on Una’s thigh. “Alright, out with it. What is it? What aren’t you saying? Now is not the time for secrets.”
Only her eyes moved as she glanced toward where his hand had landed and Una considered what she would even say. "Nothing worth saying right now," Una admitted softly and it wasn't a lie. "We're too early into the night for the thoughts to be quiet."
And yet, without meaning to, Una gave herself away. Her free hand lifted and rubbed at her chest with two fingers as her jaw went tight. The pressure on her sternum was sharp and maybe it would ease the tightness of emotion there before it could possibly unfurl and make itself loudly known. "Getting them home," Una murmured and her gaze dropped again though it landed on nothing in particular or even anything she was actively focused on. "I don't know if that means us or not. I don't even know if this is our home. Or if we're dealing with some parallel universe. Did we replace ourselves here? Are the we of here gone? Has it always been us and we just don't remember it?"
He was right. Her glass was too full. The breath she let out was too strained, too stressed. Too many too quantifiers. Una shoved to her feet and didn't care that the liquid sloshed over the side of the glass though she absently lifted her hand to suck some of it off the curve of her palm as she started to pace. "We get them home," she repeated, hating how her voice sounded to her own ears.
Ah. There it was. Chris drained his glass, not bothering to refill it for the moment, instead getting to his feet to intercept the pacing of his first officer. ”Una.” His voice gentle but firm to break through her spiral as his hands found her bare upper arms, attempting to stop her frenetic motion.
“I’ve been in San Francisco, what, a month? Two? It’s hard for me to want to choose to leave my ship and my crew. But I also can’t imagine sending you back there alone. Or leaving Adaine and Fig. The Enterprise is my home. Has been since I stepped foot on her. You know that. But - and let me make this clear - more than any ship, any ranch, any cabin, you, Una Chin-Riley, are my home. Since you called me out when I spoke to your class at the Academy. I would give up the Enterprise, the chair, everything, for you. I need you more than any ship.”
His voice was tight. That’s what happened when he’d come too close to losing her because of her sense of honor and sacrifice last year and because of what he knew of his own future. There would come a time when he would leave her. What was it now, six, seven years max? He swallowed the lump in his throat.
“I don’t know if this is our universe or timeline, but it’s damn close because the logs on the ship are word for word what I remember. At least it’s not Georgiou’s universe - as good as we both look in leather.” He let out a slow breath. “Whatever it is. Whatever this is. Whether it’s our universe or some fragment of the multiverse, you and I know what we are to each other. That is constant, no matter where in any universe or timeline we find ourselves. Maybe the we of here and the other half of the Enterprise’s crew are relaxing in San Francisco. Maybe we find the right anomaly or unexplainable weird red thing and we swap back. If we have to go to the farthest reaches of deep space to find a wormhole home, we will. No stone - or star - unturned. Ad astra per aspera, right?”
In all honesty, the only reason why she stopped when Chris' hands found her arms was the fact that she didn't want to bowl him over. The way he said her name- It was so rare to use that tone that he had her entire attention even before he really got going. She would never let him give all of those things up, not for her. True, she hadn't exactly hated that he had broken his isolation in order to come for her and the rest of the Archer's crew who'd been stranded and wounded.
But he was right; the Enterprise was his home and he belonged in the Captain's chair. And it had killed Una a little to think that all of it was at risk because of her choices and the subsequent secrets Chris had been willing to keep on her behalf. Because he believed in her. Because she meant something to him. "Per aspera," Una whispered, stressing the two words by themselves. Could she be selfish? Could she want the both of them to return to San Francisco?
You are my home. Una would devote a moment of remorse later for the way she dropped the glass and how the liquid splashed over the rug and their bare feet. Both hands came up from the inside of his grip and cupped his face just as he had to her only minutes ago. "Don't leave me," she begged before tugging him forward just that little bit more to press her lips against his. If they had to stay, it needed to be the both of them. If they went, neither could be left behind. Una wasn't sure she would be able to stand it, not since he'd finally arrived to join her. To meet the girls. To meet people who'd become important to her. She'd already lost Jim Kirk and had, logically, known that he had returned to bigger and better things. But he wasn't Christopher Pike. It was the briefest of kisses because Una's eyes widened as she realized what she'd just done. Certainly, it wasn't the first time they'd sought out the shared comfort but they were actively on duty. Weren't they?
Her hands dropped from his face though she only curled her fingers in just enough to look uncertain instead of a panicked sort of shoving them at her sides. But she didn't apologize.
It was like a dam breaking. Everything they’d been through in the last few years. Sitting out the war. Spock and Michael and the Discovery. Boreth. The trial. The gorn. Rigel VII. His hands slid down until they settled on her hips, gripping firmly as he let out a soft breath before leaning in and kissing her. Where hers had been brief and gentle, his was hard and fierce. “Never. Not even when you get yourself arrested.” The words coming out in a rush before he leaned in to kiss her again, stopping before his lips met hers. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”
He knew she could have him pinned on the ground in a split second if she didn’t want this, but Christopher Pike prized consent, especially after what had happened on Talos IV.
The secure feeling was exactly what she'd needed, the way his hands had her by the hips. Una wasn't a woman who needed to be possessed or kept but there was still that dangerous little emotion that whispered safe. And he was kissing her instead of pushing her away.
His pause wasn't even a question. It was an order, though gentle, and Una only shook her head once before.. well, one or both of them moved a moment later. One of her hands went into his hair, nails just barely grazing his scalp while her other hand resumed its place at his face though it was along his jaw. He probably needed to shave soon if only for appearance sake. And then Una did stop, jerking her head back enough to eye him. "Comms," she reminded him, before they managed to get a little too distracted. Amusement glinted in her eyes; a far cry from the worry that had been there moments ago.
He moaned at the hint of roughness in her touch. The moan turned into a groan of disappointment when she broke off the kiss. “So damned logical.” One hand reached into his pocket while the other held onto her firmly, keeping her close as he pulled out his communicator and set himself to unavailable/do not disturb before turning it off. If it was actually an emergency, someone would come find them.
Chris leaned in, brushing his lips against her neck, just under her ear. It had been awhile since they’d fallen into bed together. Not since before Discovery at least. The fact that he hadn’t allowed himself to seek comfort from her after Discovery and Boreth showed just how shaken he’d been by the whole thing.
One of his hands slid under her tank to spread over her back. “Any other interruptions, Number One?”
Una's lips parted to remind him where her own communicator was but her words instead turned into a sharp inhale. Damn him and knowing that exact spot beneath her ear. Just as she began to remember what she had been about to say, he drew a quiet moan from her as his hand flattened against her back. Skin on skin contact and she was done for.
She turned them both and Una pushed against Chris' chest even as she moved with him. She knew that he'd drop onto the couch again and Una simply followed the motion by crawling over his thighs and settling there. Well. She did enjoy being on top most of the time. Una wouldn't admit to being as touch-starved as she was; there hadn't been anyone since she'd arrived in San Francisco though it had ultimately been by choice. A small few of their fellows might have been easy to fall into bed with but she valued their friendship more. But Chris? There was no line there that needed to be held. The way she was kissing him again was the same sort of hard and hot that his had been in answer to her hesitation. Chris and she could step right back into any duo of roles and still look each other in the eye with no one the wiser.
"If someone interrupts," Una breathed against his mouth, "permission to kick them off the ship?" She grinned down at him.
A laugh escaped as Chris found himself on the sofa again with a lap full of Illyrian. His hands slid over her thighs and under the tank top, tugging it upwards. He had a feeling this wasn’t just about a little couch makeout session. They needed each other, needed to ground each other, to remind themselves what was real.
“If someone interrupts,” Chris said, pausing to kiss that spot under her ear. “I will push them out of the airlock myself.”
He was vaguely aware that they were still on the balcony, but right now, he had no intention of moving and there wasn’t anyone who could see them up here anyway. And the Vulcans would probably say it was logical and natural. His mouth found hers hungrily, letting her take control of the kiss but desperate for something.
"I was aiming for peaceful," Una said. Her tone would have been disapproving if she hadn't been so busy helping him along with divesting her of more of the duty uniform. Maybe it would be rushed. It often was, depending on their circumstances at the time. But they were both hungry for whatever they could get just then and Una was more than happy to oblige. And as she did with no one else in memory, she didn't hold back on exactly what she wanted. Needed.
For just a little while, Una could be selfish. She could steal what she needed from Chris but maybe also give back in kind.
Chris supposed that perhaps they shouldn’t have stayed on the balcony. To be fair, after the first time on the balcony, and the second time in the tub (gods, how he loved a good tub), he couldn’t bring himself to care. His stomach, however, did seem to care that they hadn’t finished the appetizers earlier. Brushing his lips against Una’s forehead, he slid out of bed, not bothering to put on clothes as he padded to the kitchen, coming back with a bottle of liquor and a plate of the Vulcan delicacies. Setting them on the nightstand, he crawled into bed beside his first officer, reaching over to grab one of the pieces of fruit and popping it into his mouth before holding another up to Una's lips.
Sex with Una was like commanding the Enterprise with her. They moved in sync, wordlessly communicating, adapting when needed, both willing to say when something didn’t work. But most of the time, it worked. It worked incredibly well, it felt like coming home. Effortless and fulfilling. Restorative.
It broke them open. Allowed them to be vulnerable with each other. Their souls as naked as their bodies. “I slept with Kat,” he whispered, fingers trailing over Una’s lips as she ate the fruit from them. “Before she sacrificed herself.”
It wasn’t a confession in the sense of seeking absolution, it was more part of the secrets related to what had happened on Boreth that he finally felt safe enough to share. “She wouldn’t let me take the risk.”
When Chris left the bed, Una simply gave a languid stretch and then rolled onto her side to let the quiet of the room sink in a little more. By the time he was returning, she'd shifted up enough to be propped up on the pillows with the sheet pulled artfully upward. She wasn't exactly embarrassed about the nudity but some moments were designed a little differently than others.
She let Chris feed her and her smile was amused as he did so. His fingers had trailed over her lips but Una grabbed him by the wrist the instant he started to pull away. "Of course she didn't," Una said, like it was just that simple. When she released his wrist it was only so she could thread their fingers together, watching him in that way of hers. "It isn't your fault. And I'm glad you both had some comfort toward the end."
There was no judgment in her tone--mostly because there rarely was when it wasn't something relating to Christopher Pike and self-sacrifice. When he was ready to jump into a fire to save anyone else, oh... oh there was all the judgmental tone then. "You have a big heart. You always have. You're a good leader and inspire people. You will always argue what I am about to say so don't bother arguing it now. But you're worth other people taking those risks in your place." She brought their joined hands up so the side-edge of her palm pressed against his mouth without having to release his fingers. Una arched an eyebrow, daring him to argue. "I'm sorry she's gone. I'm not sorry that you aren't."
Chris opened his mouth to protest at least twice while Una spoke. “And you say I give speeches,” he teased, leaning over to steal a kiss - and prevent her from saying anything more about it. He disagreed, but they both knew it so there was no point in arguing about it.
“And I’m glad you aren’t stuck in some prison I have to bust you out of,” he teased. He kept his fingers intertwined with hers and reached to feed her another piece of fruit before his free hand stroked over her skin under the sheet. “Feeling better?”
"Well," Una said with a twitch of her lips as she fought down her amused town (and failed), "you busted me out of one cell at least."
She accepted another piece of fruit with a small hum of appreciation, allowing herself to curve a little further against Chris' body. "Better," she admitted. Which was still a very long way away from 'fine' or 'good' but they would both take what they could. The distractions, plural, had been necessary and Una at least felt like she could breathe again. Use logic again. The contingency plans were there and everyone simply had to work through ideas as best they could.
Una turned over onto her back with an impatient sigh before leveraging herself up on her elbows. Sheets be damned, she wanted to be upright. "Bring the tray closer? And the drinks. We skipped steps," she said and her smile slowly grew. If she let herself fall back into too many thoughts, they'd just get into a vicious cycle--fun though it might have been to break. "We've still got too many hours before anyone will be expecting anything from either of us."
“So bossy,” Chris teased without any malice, nipping her shoulder. He liked her assertiveness. Truth be told, he did enjoy giving up control occasionally in bed. And Una was one of the few people who could handle that. And meet him tit for tat. He smirked at the pun in his thoughts as he reached for the tray and the drinks, setting it close enough so Una could reach. He settled himself against the headboard, bringing one knee up and resting his elbow on it.
He would take better. Because sometimes that’s all they could manage. He took a sip of his drink, smiling at his first officer. “I didn’t hear you complaining about skipping steps before. Clearly I need to distract you some more if you’re capable of thinking about that.”
Chris didn’t know if they’d come up with any solutions tonight, but he wouldn’t turn down getting lost in each other instead of in the thoughts that haunted them. “So, refuel before the next round? Or do you have other ideas for distraction?”
Una made a scoffing sound but still felt her cheeks and ears start to burn. She hadn't complained about skipping steps though at least they had no reason to blame alcohol. She preferred honesty in why she'd bedded her captain--and more than once just that day. Una poured herself a drink but went after some of the cooled food instead. They had definitely skipped the appetizer round up front and quite literally.
"I am capable of multitasking," Una said after a moment and smirked, looking back up at him before taking a bite. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until there was suddenly more than fruit being offered. "Refueling is necessary regardless, so eat up." Amused by the implication, she took another bite to finish off the delicacy that she'd chosen. The drink was next to wash it down. "Is April sending anyone here or letting us work this out with Vulcan for the time being?" See? She could multitask even with a naked Christopher Pike within touching distance.
He did as he was told, eating some of the appetizers, which were still delicious, even when they weren’t piping hot. So much so that he found himself licking his fingers in appreciation. “Starfleet is sending a small team of scientists,” Chris confirmed. “I think they’re scheduled to arrive late tomorrow?”
Chris had a few more bites before refilling both their glasses, his mind already circling back to their situation. Which was better than dwelling on the ghosts of the past - or the future. “Way I figure - one possible solution, we somehow figure out the cosmic undo button, we go back to San Francisco, our crew comes back here from wherever they were. There’s also the possibility that we figure out how to get back to San Francisco, but everyone gets to choose whether to stay or go back…”
He left the question unspoken, would they stay or go? The Enterprise was home, but he knew neither of them would leave Fig or Adaine. And he couldn’t help feeling like perhaps he was taking another Christopher Pike’s place here. But what if, by him coming here, the timeline had shifted enough that his future wasn’t set in stone. What if the accident didn’t happen here? What if there were no consequences for it? What if he saved the cadets, himself, and Spock?
Una was grateful that neither of them felt the need to answer the unspoken question just as much as neither of them expected the other to answer. She had already had her moment of weakness and begged him to be at her side but did that mean on the Enterprise or in a San Francisco of the past?
She watched him as she often did, tracking every little nuance to his expression. Where someone else might have seen the best poker face in the fleet, Una saw a story there that might as well have been shouted. "Now who needs the distraction?" Una murmured around the rim of her glass without looking away from Chris' face. "If Starfleet is sending a team of scientists, all we can do is wait while some of the best minds we've known try to come together and see what our options are." Una shifted her position just a little, unashamed of her stature and assets, and hooked her foot over Chris' calf beneath the sheet just for the physical contact. "You're thinking too much," she warned. And she knew what he was thinking too much about because Una thought about it with too much frequency.
She knew him too well. Something Chris was usually grateful for. He let her tug his leg towards her and chuckled as he gave her a look. “Because both of us are so good at waiting,” he teased, knowing they were both people of action who had problems sitting still or staying on the sidelines. “Are you suggesting a man who flunked astrophysics won’t be of any help to the scientists?”
"I am saying," Una said and leveled a look at him, "that we have our strengths and we are better suited for the bigger picture." Which, yes, included how to get everyone home but Una was more focused on the people themselves. One of the most important tasks they'd been run ragged on was just how to keep everyone calm. Or calm enough. There was no helping some people for various reasons but Captain Pike had done his level best and Chris had slept very little so that he could be on hand. Una had been his second in command in all ways so she could back him up and convince him to rest when he would actually listen.
The people, their people, needed more than just the people with the brains. She sighed, tipping her head back as her eyes closed. It was annoying when she managed to talk herself into her own, more calm focus just by virtue of applying it to what Chris needed to hear for himself. "We hate waiting," she conceded after a moment. "But for right now, we have to."
Una cracked an eye open and tilted her head again just so she could look at him. "Don't be smug."
Chris couldn’t help but smirk at the look Una gave him. The look had slightly less effect when they were lying naked in bed than in his ready room or on the bridge. He set his drink on the nightstand and leaned in to suck on her neck. “Well, if you’d prefer not to wait, I’m sure we could brainstorm plans of action for the various hypotheticals we might encounter…”
"While you're cheating?" Una complained though with a smile. Her head had tilted automatically to give him more room and a low moan was drawn from her again. All of her usual walls were gone, everything she typically stood behind in the name of professionalism.
At this rate, her drink, the rest of the bottle, and their food was going to end up all over the bed alongside them. Did she care? Great question. Una was probably supposed to care. "Stop," she finally laughed, hand landing on his knee without any force to physically stop him. "I swear we are never going to get food in us at this rate." The grin she gave was all heated amusement. Maybe she wouldn't have minded but Una was logical when it came to needs. Food was a need. More sex was a want. "Out of bed. Go. We're moving to the table." Just as soon as she led by example?
Chris kissed her again before rolling over with a groan and getting out of bed, stretching before pulling on a pair of sleep pants to make sure he didn’t tempt Una too much. “If I let you call the shots in bed does that mean I get to call them on the bridge,” he teased, picking up the tray and the bottle before carrying them over to the table. He knew Una wouldn’t challenge him on the bridge and most of the time when they fell into bed it was because he needed to give up control.
“Also, boy scouts don’t cheat. It’s part of the code. Clearly you just need to work on your self discipline,” he teased, failing to keep a straight face.
Una watched him move with a flat, unimpressed expression that had everything to do with the words being spoken. "I won't hesitate to call you out on the bridge and you know it," she said with a raised eyebrow before smirking. "It's why I'm your favorite."
She moved off the bed at her own speed and plucked up the robe that should have been his. The assumption had been, after all, that the pair weren't actually sharing a bed but were instead making use of the separate rooms. Which, thoughtfully, had held separate robes for their comfort. It wasn't like the robe hid much but it was enough to feel comfortable in a chair at the table. "I do enjoy you leaning into the boy scout routine," Una as she propped her elbows on the table and threaded her fingers together to act as a chin rest. Blue eyes watched Chris with far too much innocence. "Considering you didn't know it was in your file."
If asked, Una would have had to admit that she was far more relaxed than when they'd started, when she had pushed up to pace and let everything spill out. She reached out to snag a piece of food from a tray that had been left out, rather than the one Chris had taken to bed, and eyed it thoughtfully. "Vulcan version of Bruschetta?" Una suggested, looking to Chris for his input. Clearly she wasn't commenting on her self-discipline coming into question.
“You are my favorite for many reasons,” Chris admitted, his tone light, but his eyes reflecting the truth of the statement. “But that is one of them. Your appreciation of my cooking is another.”
He rolled his eyes at the boy scout comment, even if he had been the one to bring it up. “Might as well play to it as a strength,” he teased before grabbing an appetizer and taking a bite.
“Something along those lines for sure. Local produce and herbs.” Another bite. “And some sort of vinaigrette.”
Chris cocked an eyebrow at her with a smirk. “We’ll make a food critic out of you yet.”
The most common expression worn by Una was repeated once again: a simple rise of a perfectly manicured eyebrow. It encompassed everything as a whole, she thought. Una went for broke and crossed a leg at the knee, not caring how it split the robe that was already precariously tied shut.
"Starfleet is going to want this to go one way, Vulcan is going to want it another way," Una said thoughtfully as she chewed. Another way she let her guard down was the casual manners she displayed. "The crew will follow you. And we need whatever method that will actually work, all egos aside." Una looked at Chris and then something in her deflated. "Which means going along with whatever crazy idea crops up in that head of yours while everyone else is too busy arguing," she sighed, resigned. And she would follow him to the end of the universe anyway. "Honestly, I don't know why I bother thinking we need to plan this out."
Chris sighed, refilling his glass and taking a long sip. He ran a hand through his hair, further messing up his curls. His gaze may have wandered slightly over the growing expanse of skin that the robe was revealing, but his mind was preoccupied with their situation.
“I don’t always fly by the seat of my pants,” Chris countered, only slightly defensive. “The crew may follow me, but will the rest of the folks from San Francisco?” He hadn’t been here that long, hadn’t built up the repertoire with them, didn’t know them well enough to have their trust.
“You’re right though, we need whatever will work. The trouble is, I’m not seeing any way that works right now. You know it’s bad when Spock doesn’t have a damn clue.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, not voicing the worst case scenario thoughts in his head, because he knew Una would guess them without being told. “Both Starfleet and Vulcan want to ‘study’ us and the other residents. April’s running what interference he can, but you know how the brass is…”
He pulled over one of the PADDs, pulling up the various scenarios that had been suggested and rejected. “We need to focus on keeping morale up. And as much group cohesion as possible. Don’t need anyone going AWOL on Vulcan and ending up in a fucked up diplomatic situation. Or worse.”
"The San Francisco crew will follow you. Enough of them," Una said quietly. "I've been around long enough but the Enterprise is your ship. They'll want to get home more than they will want to stay here. Or with Starfleet or on Vulcan. You're their best bet."
She let her gaze wander as her thoughts tried to sort themselves out. "At worst, we make a run for it." Not a great look and definitely not something she would walk away from, unscathed. There was only so much leniency the Illyrian could be granted with refugee-status, after all. "Our people aren't here to be studied and we'll protect them from ourselves, if we have to."
Una tried to not laugh, she really did. "As for morale... I'm not sure how everyone else is faring there but mine is pretty up."
Chris didn’t share all of Una’s confidence, but kept that to himself. He gave her a look. “I will take the Enterprise and all our people from San Francisco to deep space or to the damned neutral zone to protect them from Starfleet or anyone.”
There was a fierceness in his tone that implied he didn’t give a fuck about the consequences.
He threw his napkin at her. “I am not suggesting everyone get drunk and fuck their brains out in the name of morale.”
The napkin was caught and Una turned her head to look back at Chris. "We will take the Enterprise. And all of our-" our "-people," she said as though it really was just that simple. "April will buy us time." Una reached across the table, just as she'd done on his first day in San Francisco, and held her palm up.
"I have faith in you. Just like you have faith in me. Between the two of us, no one is getting at our people," Una said, voice quiet but just as fierce and firm as his had been. And she knew that he didn't necessarily share her confidence in him but Una knew his confidence in her wouldn't shake.
And she offered a small shrug to go along with it all. "What works for us doesn't work for everyone else anyway."
“Not to mention, I am not inviting all of our people into my bed. Pretty sure my orgy days are behind me,” he teased with a smile as his hand found hers, squeezing tightly, the grip betraying the anxiety he wouldn’t show in front of the crew.
"I think you mean our bed," Una replied. "Just like it's our chair." She would let him have it, pretending that the anxiety wasn't there even though they both knew he felt it. Her fingers wrapped around his in a secure grip.
Chris laughed at that, the smile relaxing his features. He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it before nipping at her fingers. “Well, then, have you had enough to eat that we can return to our bed? Or should we explore the tub?”
In all honesty, the break to discuss their options while refueling wasn't long enough but how much did she actually care when the answers were all going to end up being the same? At least until after morning.
"You mean explore the tub again," she chuckled as she shifted lower in her seat just to get her foot up and against the edge of his chair to push it (and him) back. Una simply looked smug at the motion and the twitch of her brow was all challenge. "We can return to our bed for now. More exploring later."
Chris laughed, getting to his feet. He wanted (needed?) more distraction before they fully returned to dealing with the snafu they were facing. “Such a stickler for detail.”
He tugged Una to her feet, and then threw her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, heading for the bed. “Definitely enough talking for now,” he teased as he tossed her lightly on the bed.
Any other person who'd dared to try such a move would have been quickly put on their own ass. Chris? She didn't even fight it and only gave a startled shriek that was mostly laughter as he hoisted her. Una was not a small woman.
When she hit the bed, Una threw her head back with another laugh before scrambling backward and grinning. "Make me," she challenged. And she really, really didn't mind when he did exactly that.