Will Riker (wmtriker) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2013-09-21 13:55:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !log, jean luc picard, will riker |
Who: Will Riker & Jean-Luc Picard
When: Wednesday afternoon September 4
Where: Picard’s apartment, Potts Tower
What: Tea and talking
Rating: PG
Status: Complete.
Jean-Luc Picard put the kettle on for tea and as he did so he leaned up against the counter behind him and closed his eyes. He was looking forward to Will’s visit this afternoon, but at the same time he was suspecting there would be some questions about what had happened a few days back, and despite his irritation with that suspicion, he also knew it was likely there should be questions. If the situations were reversed he absolutely knew that he would be asking questions of Will and so he could hardly blame him for the likelihood of it. The truth was that it had been an unnerving reminder of how close to the surface his memories of the Borg had been and how little it might take to push him to the edge of reasonable behavior. He was grateful that Will had been able to help him that day and that he hadn’t done any damage with his phaser while he was under the influence of the gas. As the water neared boiling, Jean-Luc turned his attention back to the tea. Each step was done with purpose and thought and he chased away the less pleasant thoughts for later. As he finished the process he thought he heard a knock at his door. After nearly six months here, Jean-Luc had finally gotten over the urge to say ‘come’ at the door as if it would open, and instead he crossed the room towards the front door to open it. Will had purposely not brought up what had happened that day for many reasons. The biggest one was that he knew it would be difficult for Picard to talk about and there was also the fact that seeing Jean-Luc in that state had disturbed him and brought back his own memories of the Borg and the decisions he’d been forced to make. They needed to get it out in the open though, he knew that, and had little doubt that it would surface during the conversation even if it took them a while to get to the point. After he got off work, he went home to shower and then headed for Jean-Luc’s apartment. Knocking on the door, he stuck his hands in his pockets and when the door was opened, he offered a smile. “Hi there,” he said. “Let me guess. The tea is ready because I’ve never known you to not have everything ready to go when you invite someone over.” Picard gave Riker a smile at those words. “I cannot deny that it is ready, and you have proven that you have probably known me too long that you know this.” He chuckled and waved an arm at the sofa. “Have a seat Number One and I’ll bring it in for us. Do you wish anything outside of tea? I’ve got a few bagels I picked up earlier, and they’re decent although I have to confess that personally I would prefer a good baguette at the moment.” He walked into the kitchen, put the pot, cups, and other essentials on the tray and then brought it out to place down on the small coffee table. For anyone else it might have seemed over-done, but Jean-Luc had learned a thing or two in his youth about how do tea correctly and it had never, despite all of his years of replicators in Starfleet, entirely left him. “How have you been?” He asked as he sat down and reached for the teapot to pour Will a cup. “A bagel would be good,” Will replied. “I worked through lunch today. We’re still trying to sort through all the stuff that’s been happening lately.” He laughed when Jean-Luc mentioned baguettes. “I’m sure you would like that but they wouldn’t compare to the ones you have at home, I’m sure.” He’d never visited France but he’d heard Jean-Luc speak about his home more than once and Will hoped that he’d have the chance to visit there one day. Picking up the cup, he smiled his thanks. “How have you been? Weren’t you going to be teaching some classes? I seem to remember that.” There had been so much going on with SHIELD that Will often lost track of what day it was in fact he teased Deanna that he had a hard time remembering his own name. Picard handed over the bagel and grinned. “I’m thinking about putting my hand to bread for tomorrow evening,” he said with a nod. “We’ll see how I do as it’s been a very long time since I’ve attempted baguettes, or any bread, with anything other than a replicator. So you can let me know if I need more practice or not. In the meantime I shall have to be content with the replicas made in this city. There is a fairly decent bakery a few streets over which is conveniently next door to a coffee shop.” Jean-Luc picked up his own cup of tea then and took a sip before responding to Will’s question. In point of fact how he had been was sleep deprived - mainly from not wanting to sleep. This wasn’t an entirely unusual feeling for him as he’d managed that over the years more than once, but since arriving in this version of New York City he’d been getting much closer to a full night’s of sleep and so he was certainly feeling it. “I’ve been well,” he said finally, balancing the tea on his knee with one hand. “I am going to begin doing some teaching come next week. It will be very basic - and very part time, but it is, I believe, a trial run for both myself and the community college that is hiring me. We shall see how it goes.” There was a self-deprecating smile given at the end of this pronouncement. “You’re an excellent teacher,” Will said. “If you can teach me how to be a good first officer, I’m pretty sure you can do anything.” He laughed. Will knew he could be stubborn at times and after the incident on the Pegasus he had been shocked when Picard had supported his assignment to the Enterprise which was the best ship in the fleet bar none. “and at least it’s not children. I can’t imagine you teaching a class full of elementary school kids. What are you going to be teaching?” "Good Lord, no!" Picard chuckled at the idea of of teaching a full class of elementary school children. "I don't believe that I or they would appreciate that," he said, picking up the uplifted and moving it to his lips. "No, this is all university students. They are at such a point that they actually enjoy the instruction they’re receiving - for the most part anyway,” he took a sip of the tea and sat it back down again. “We’ll see how I feel about it once I’ve completed a semester I suppose.” He looked over at Will. “With all of the things that have been happening here it seems you’ve been quite busy. The tesseract makes certain we never have a dull moment doesn’t it? At times it almost feels like being on the Enterprise.” Sometimes a little too much like being on the Enterprise, as it had when the borg had showed up in his hallucinations. Will had been concerned about Jean-Luc ever since the fear gas incident but wasn’t sure how to bring it up. He knew better than anyone how traumatic that must have been for his former captain. The thing was that Will would likely have had a similar hallucination except his would have been about having to make the decision to fire on the Borg when their leader had Jean-Luc’s face. “Yes it does feel like that sometimes,” he agreed. “but it’s good to be busy. I feel like I’m doing something now, not just sitting around taking up space.” Will had never liked to be idle and while he still had questions about what exactly SHIELD was, he at least felt like he was doing some good. Jean-Luc nodded at that. “I understand that feeling precisely. If I had not been able to find something that allowed me to explore some interest with archeology I am suspecting that I would have given in to the call of SHIELD,” he smiled at Will. “One cannot sit around one’s quarters all day when one is used to the bridge of a Starship. I’ve already had more ‘vacation’ here than I was thinking that I would take.” He took a sip of tea and shook his head. “I’ve enjoyed the time to read and the opportunity to learn and I am looking forward to the teaching, but at the same time I must confess that I miss the Enterprise a great deal. If it were not that I was certain that I will not be missed at home I would be a good deal more restless I’m afraid.” “I miss the Enterprise too,” Will replied. “but it’s been fascinating hearing about the other ships with the same name. From both Jim Kirks. Which is another completely bizarre yet fascinating thing.” He shook his head. “the differences in the timeline make me wonder if our Enterprise eventually will exist in the other timeline. I’m sure one of the Spocks has some sort of theory about that. Makes me wish Data were here. He would enjoy talking to them and who knows between the three of them, they might find out a way to get us all back where we belong.” “I’ve wondered the same thing,” Jean-Luc admitted and he tilted his head slightly. “Obviously we don’t in so far as the fiction of this world exists. I confess to looking to see,” he smirked momentarily. “However, it is entirely possible that we might, however we might be in different positions or have a slightly different crew. People who exist in our reality might not exist in the other - that sort of thing. It’s difficult to know what the changes made will affect in the future, isn’t it? And there have been some that were quite large.” He took another sip of his tea and nodded. “I half-wonder if Data couldn’t solve the mystery of this tesseract if he just put his mind to it, but he’s not here so I suppose we won’t find out the answer to that question just now. Perhaps he’ll show up and answer it for us in the future. If only I could command the tesseract like I command my ship,” he smiled another smile at Will. It didn’t surprise him that Jean-Luc had looked. Will had considered it himself more than once but had never done so. “Maybe we just haven’t shown up yet in that fiction,” he mused. “but you’re right, it might be completely different. The fact that Vulcan was destroyed is certainly a huge change. Romulus as well. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.” Will laughed. “I have no doubt that Data could figure it out. I keep hoping he’ll appear one day but he hasn’t. I’m curious to know how the Tesseract chooses the people who come here. It seems very random and then there are those that come back. Some have come back more than once I believe.” He took a sip of tea. “and lately I’ve been thinking about leaving New York. Too much has happened and if I’m going to have to live here, I’d rather enjoy my life instead of wondering when the next thing is going to happen. At least on the Enterprise we understood what we were dealing with most of the time. Here, we get fear gas, terrorists, things that are a little out of my element.” “Those two planets and the people that were destroyed when that happened,” Picard shook his head and frowned slightly. “That alone could make huge changes simply in the people who are born or not born - how many of our crew had relatives from one of those two planets - they might not exist in our world from having never been born.” It was a sobering thought as Picard knew they had several crew members who were Vulcan and who knew if they would ever be born in this alternate reality? “I’m thinking come Christmas if I’m still here I’m going to visit France for a few weeks,” Picard said thoughtfully. “I should have the funds to do it by then with the work I’ve been doing teaching and I am going to visit home - even if it isn’t precisely. “Although that is perhaps not entirely what you meant. I have considered moving out of the tower - and after some of the more recent events I have considered it more strongly.” It was the closest Picard really wanted to come to talking about what he had seen when the fear gas had been pumped through the tower. “Do people native to this Universe know what to do with it always? I suspect it would help to be very pop culturally literate, wouldn’t it?” “No I don’t think they do,” Will said. “some of the things that have happened have taken SHIELD by surprise which is probably more than I’m allowed to say but I know it will go no further. As for the most recent attack, they’re still trying to find out the cause of it. I know that Science is working on it but that’s all I know.” Will was used to being in the loop when something was happening. As the second in command, there was very little that Picard knew that wasn’t shared with Will. He was always aware of what was going on and how to deal with it. “I’m not used to things being on a need to know basis and being one of those who doesn’t need to know and that bothers me.” He grinned. “I could have guessed at as much,” Picard said with an eyebrow raise and a follow-up sip of the tea. “Just the reactions and what was being done and not done - when you’ve been in command as long as I have, you learn to read between the lines. But of course I won’t say anything further and I don’t want you to violate any oaths you’ve taken as a part of SHIELD.” Picard rested the tea on his knee for a moment and then took another sip. “It would be interesting to get used to not being in command again,” he said. “Perhaps, and let’s not pretend it doesn’t paint me in a slightly unfavorable way, part of the reason I have not joined SHIELD is because I don’t love the idea of taking orders rather than giving them.” There was a small smile on his lips as he said that, but he knew Will would recognize it as at least partially true. Will laughed. Jean-Luc had been born to command and he knew that it wouldn’t be easy for the man to give it up. “I can certainly understand. It’s hard for me and I don’t have your experience in command.” He’d been offered a command of his own but had chosen instead to stay on the Enterprise. Part of that was because of Deanna but the biggest part was that no ship could compare to the Enterprise. None ever had, none ever would. “The man in charge of my cell, Ianto Jones, he’s good. Having a team that can get along as people is important to him and I like that about him. He reminds me of you in that respect. If we can’t connect as human beings, we can’t work together in a crisis. Which is something I’ve always believed. Of course there are always going to be some that you get along with better than others but it’s a team effort.” Will took a sip of his tea. “I guess it’s true what they say. No man is an island.” Jean-Luc smiled and nodded. “I’ve seen a number of good people here. I suppose it makes sense that if we’re all heroes in our own stories - and it seems most of us have some element of that - the people here would be decent sorts, but it does surprise me sometimes how well we all get along all things considered. Still, I’m glad you’ve got a good person that you’re reporting too. And I’m glad things are working out for you Will.” Picard had nearly finished his tea and he took the final sip and sat the empty cup on the coffee table. “Will you and Deanna stay in the tower you think, or have you considered moving out?” Moving out wasn’t something that Will had really considered until the fear gas attacks. He was happy in the Tower especially since he had so many friends from Starfleet here but the attacks on the building did worry him. “We haven’t really talked about it,” he replied. “Part of me is tempted but I did a bit of looking and it’s much more expensive than I thought it would be. At least here we have a place to stay, security when we need it, there are a lot of advantages to staying here. Unless Deanna really wants to leave, I think we’ll be staying.” He was fairly certain she would want to stay since she was seeing clients here and there would be the matter of finding office space which would mean more rent. Picard nodded. “The expense is not to be underestimated and has been my main reason for staying as well, although the Tower does seem to be a bit of a lightning rod for certain aspects of our ‘refugee’ status here. The protesters, the less than noble people who get through the tesseract -” He looked at the empty glass of tea. “So I would be lying if I said I had not considered it in the not so distant past. The thought had occurred to me that there might be an option that would allow us all enough privacy, but could also allow us to share rent - although it has not been more than a thought so I don’t know that it would be possible. Regardless, I thought I would share the thought with you. “Would you like some more tea, Will?” “Yes some more tea sounds good and your idea intrigues me. I want to hear more,” Will didn’t mind the Tower but as Jean-Luc had pointed out there were certain things he wouldn’t miss including the protesters and some of the fans who tended to gather around the entrance. Not that he’d had any issues with any of them but they could be rather annoying. Jean-Luc nodded and stood up, reaching for his own cup and for Will’s as well. “Perhaps I’ll put the water on to boil and then we could discuss a bit more of the possible details if you’d like.” He stood and made his way to the kitchen to put the water on for tea. |