InsaneJournal

Mary was feeling a bit nervous for what was, most assuredly this time, a date with Jim. He was going to take her to a local bar, a place that he himself had described as ‘seedy’. Of course, she had no idea what to wear to such a place. Fortunately, Jadzia had been able to help her pick out something that she would feel comfortable in and would be appropriate for the location. It was the most casual outfit Mary had ever worn. Honestly, her riding outfit was more formal. This was what people in this time wore though, and Mary did not want to stick out like a sore thumb. At least Jadzia was right - the clothes were comfortable, except perhaps for the heels, which were a bit higher and skinnier than she was used to.

Her outfit sorted, she now had other things to worry about. She had told Jim that it was alright to be a bit improper with her, but she wasn’t quite sure how far he would take that - or how far she would want to go. Mary hoped she hadn’t made a mistake in that. All she knew was that she liked him quite a lot and she wanted to feel his lips and hands on her. She was ready for that, at least.

Jim picked her up at her room and they walked, Mary holding onto his elbow, to the local place that he was taking her. It did indeed look a bit rough around the edges. Her grip tightened as they stepped inside, even if she wasn’t terribly worried about the place itself. Jim would keep her safe. She had no doubt of that.

They sat down and Mary ordered a whiskey, glad that they had more than beer at this bar. Being close to Starfleet Headquarters meant that there were all sorts of different alien species there. She tried to point discreetly to a group of people sitting further down the bar. “Are they Vulcans?”

---

Jim wasn’t sure what to categorize this evening with Mary. A date, maybe? He wasn’t sure. When was the last time he had gone out on a date? He had mentioned their plans to Admiral Pike and they’d talked about it, back and forth about crew versus travelers and the like, and Jim still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do in this situation. Or what would be appropriate. But it didn’t matter. What he did know was how to show a woman a good time, and a proper lady like Mary Crawley wanted to be shown a good time.

As he sat beside her in a booth along the wall, he glanced over to where she was gesturing and nodded. “Sure is. They must be experimenting. This isn’t really the type of place Vulcans usually show up. I’ll have to mention it to Spock later,” he joked. He extended an arm behind her along the back of the booth and picked up his beer. “It’s not too loud in here, is it?” he asked. The jukebox was playing some classic rock anthem, and Jim tapped his foot along to the bass line.

---

It was a bit loud, but Mary shrugged. It was fine. It gave her that much more of an excuse to lean in close to him. She supposed they had places in her time that were similar to this. Jazz clubs, though they were usually a bit more classy. Perhaps the speakeasies in America were more like this.

Mary sipped her whiskey and moved her lips closer to Jim’s ear so that she could talk to him. “I wonder who's more out of place, them or I.” She was teasing, and pulled back a bit so that Jim could see her smiling.

---

Jim smiled back at her. “Now that’s a good question,” he said, but he took a moment to give her a once over. He liked what she was wearing and didn’t see a problem with it at all, even though she had mentioned worrying about finding the right clothes to wear. Could he have taken her to a classier place? Sure, but that wasn’t who he was. This was his favorite dive bar in San Francisco, and he enjoyed spending time in it when he was planet-side.

“Bet you never went in places like this where you’re from,” he said.

---

She had noticed that Jim had given her an appreciative once-over when he had arrived to pick her up. It was certainly the strangest outfit she had ever worn and Mary wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. On the one hand, she was assimilating, but on the other, she wasn’t sure if she completely wanted to.

“I didn’t,” Mary confirmed. “The closest thing was when I had to chase my cousin down at a jazz club, but even that place was different. Do you know what I like about this place though?” She waited until his blue eyes met hers. “That I’m here with you.” Her fingers ran down his arm and brushed over his hand before twining with his fingers.

---

Jim coughed a bit and almost pulled his hand away but he remembered his conversation with the admiral and decided that he could handle a little affection. He grinned and pulled her hand up to his mouth, pressing his lips against it briefly. “I’m not really a jazz fan but I guess that could be fun too,” he said. “Especially during your time period. Weren’t jazz clubs the place to be?”

---

Her grin widened when he picked up her hand and kissed it. Mary slid in a bit closer to him. “Yes, they were quite popular. My cousin was a very free spirit. It probably sounds terrible to say that we reined her in a bit, but it is true. She’s married now.” Rose was happy with her husband though and that was all that mattered to Mary. “Admiral Pike thinks that we ought to get you on a horse.” Mary raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

---

Jim almost said that he thought he might like Mary’s cousin but she switched subjects over to horseback riding and he laughed. “A horse? I grew up in Iowa. You think I’ve never been on a horse before?” He had but it had been way back when he was, what, ten? Nine? He was pretty sure he’d have no idea what to do on a horse now. “I prefer a motorcycle,” he said, which he was pretty sure he’d told her before. It was a shame he didn’t still have a bike. He didn’t have any use for it while in deep space. There wasn’t anywhere on a spaceship to ride it, after all.

---

“You told me. Perhaps we’ll make a deal then. You go horseback riding with Pike and I, and I will ride a motorcycle with you at some point.” It seemed like a good deal, even if she was a bit anxious of the idea of being on a motorcycle.

---

He raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure where they’d be going to go horseback riding. Pike’s ranch in the Mojave seemed like the best option but Pike had made it pretty clear he didn’t think he’d be making the trip down there. He shrugged. “I gave my bike away years ago,” he admitted, “but I’m sure I can find one somewhere if you’re serious about that deal.”

---

“I am.” She wouldn’t renege on a promise. Worse came to worse, they could always use the holodeck back on the ship to ride both horses and motorcycles.

Mary leaned against him and took another sip of her whiskey. “So what do you usually do at places like these? Drink and watch the people?” The clientele was definitely interesting. Not only were the aliens different to her, the regular humans seemed to be of a colorful sort as well.

---

“Usually I’m here by myself,” he said, leaving off the explanation that he was here usually to pick up someone to take home with him. “But since we’re here together, then yes,” he said. “Drink and watch the people.” He let his hand slip from the back of the booth to her shoulder, hitching her gently against him as he lifted his glass to take another drink.

---

That seemed odd, coming to this place by himself. She didn’t put it together that it meant he wished to leave with someone. Instead it made her wonder if he was simply lonely and why a man like him would feel that way.

“What if I wish to watch you instead?” she asked, her lips close to his ear again. Mary slid the pointed toe of her heel over his calf. While the motion felt right to do, she still worried a bit about being too suggestive with him. Her greatest worry was that Jim would only want her for sex, and would she want or be able to do that after the disaster that was Lucifer.

---

Jim was rarely lonely. Well, not in the sense that he was alone. Being captain was a lonely job, one that made it easier for him to duck away on shore leave to find some other kind of company. He slipped his fingers against her shoulder, cupping it gently, shifting to let her sit closer to him. “Well, I’m sure I can come up with some ideas that are much more enjoyable than watching me drink a beer,” he said.

---

There was a difference between being lonely and being alone. Mary was rarely alone, but she was often lonely. A lot of her happiness had gone with Matthew after he died. She’d managed to go on, of course, but it had been a hard existence for a few years. She’d had a discussion with Pike about the captaincy being a lonely position sometimes and she wondered if Pike had talked to Jim as well.

“What did you have in mind, then?” she asked. When she leaned her head down, her lips brushed against his neck.

---

He had a feeling she had the right idea about just what it was he was inferring. If she was any other woman, he would probably have already kissed her by now, but he was cognizant of her time period and what all that entailed. He hadn’t mentioned it to Pike, but Jim had actually done a fair bit of research and reading up on early 20th century Earth.

Jim turned to look at her, finding her face close to his. He was being much more careful than usual, but Mary was making it perfectly clear - at least to him - that she wanted to speed things up. He grinned. “Maybe something like this,” he said, closing the little space between them to kiss her slowly, his fingers coming up to brush against the side of her neck.

---

Mary felt her heart stop in the moment before Jim pressed his lips to hers. Her hand moved to rest on his chest as she returned the kiss. It probably wasn't the type of kiss that should be done in public, but Mary didn't care. She'd been waiting for this.

They pulled back eventually when they both needed to breathe. Mary’s pulse was racing. “That was certainly more entertaining than people watching,” she gasped.

---

The corner of his mouth turned up into a charming smile. He didn’t mind the kiss or how public it was. No one in this type of place cared if a couple was making out in a booth in the shadows. “Only entertaining?” he asked. His thumb slipped down her jaw and flicked across her lower lip. “Then I’m not doing a good enough job.” He leaned in to kiss her again, abandoning his drink to hook an arm around her waist and pull her against him. Entertaining was not what he was going for. Distracting, maybe. All consuming, definitely.

---

That smile made her feel as light as air. Despite being a widow, there was something about Jim that made her feel like she was a teenager. Mary let out a little cry when he grabbed her and pulled her in. She was practically in his lap, being devoured by him and loving every second. Her fingers moved up to brush through his hair as she opened her mouth against his.

When they broke apart again, Mary gave a furtive glance around the bar. Nobody was so much as even looking at them. She supposed that the clientele had seen much worse. Making out in a public place was a bit uncomfortable for her regardless, however. “Perhaps we might go some place that is a bit more quiet?” Mary rested her forehead against his.

---

Jim wasn’t really sure how to interpret that request, and he also didn’t think it would be appropriate to take her back to his quarters at Headquarters. He didn’t keep an apartment in San Francisco, at least not right now, he had given up the lease on his when the Enterprise headed out for its five-year deep space mission. “What’s wrong with where we are?” he asked, dragging his fingers down the side of her neck and over to cup her shoulder. He leaned in to kiss her again. “We’re not done with our drinks yet,” he teased.

---

She laughed quietly, feeling both aroused and anxious. “We’re in public…” She said. “Are you the type of man who likes to caress a woman that he is kissing?” Mary raised an eyebrow at him. Kissing was one thing, but she wasn't about to let him feel her up in a very public place. A lady had standards.

---

“Caress?” he repeated, then realized she meant that she was wondering if he was going to grope her. “I’m not really in the habit of being indecent in public,” he pointed out, “but there’s nothing saying we can’t make out here for a while before we finish our drinks and I, like the gentleman I am, return you to your quarters at HQ.” He leaned in for another kiss, sliding his hand along the side of her neck to pull her in close as he opened his mouth over hers and slipped his tongue in alongside hers, tasting the sweetness of the whiskey she had been drinking.

---

“Jim-” she said before his mouth was on hers again. Mary pushed her tongue back against his, tasting his beer. She had meant to explain that if he wanted to touch her, she would prefer a more private place, even if it was somewhere secluded out along the bay. Apparently that wasn’t what he wanted tonight. It surprised Mary that he was willing to take things so slowly.

She stopped analyzing everything and leaned into the kiss, enjoying the taste of his lips and the feel of his arm around her waist. Her hands moved to his chest, one of them tugging at the T-shirt he was wearing. Mary tilted her head and deepened the kiss, pushing her tongue against his lips. When she didn’t think about it, it was very easy to forget that she was in a bar.

---

He pushed his hands around her neck, into her hair and slowed the kiss, taking the time to slow down the kiss and really enjoy it, explore her. He could take this slow. Not everything Jim Kirk did had to be fast. He rubbed a hand down her back, pressing his fingers down along her spine. “Hmn?” he asked on a delay. “Were you going to say something?” he asked as he dragged his mouth away from hers and down the side of her neck. “Did I hear a protest coming on?” At a spot behind her ear, he pursed his lips and sucked on her skin gently.

---

Damn this man and his ability to make her completely lose her focus. Her eyes were closed as he kissed up and down her neck. Each pass of his lips made her forget exactly what she had been about to say. “I… I mean…” Then he sucked at the spot behind her ear and she couldn’t help the soft moan that came from her lips. “You are satisfied with just kissing me?”

Mary hoped that he wouldn’t interpret that as her not being satisfied with only that, but she knew men and she knew that people moved fast in this century. She didn’t think she was ready to sleep with him yet, but Mary was still surprised that Jim did not seem to want more from her.

---

He pulled back, lifting his head for a moment and looking at her. “You’re not satisfied with this?” Jim asked, surprised. He was under the impression she was enjoying it very much, with her shortness of breath, the warmth of her skin, and the way she responded to his kissing. He sat back to look at her carefully, his eyes dark.

---

Of course he interpreted it that way. Mary gave a short sigh and put her hand back on his chest. “I am very satisfied with this, but surely men have not changed so much in three centuries.” If anything, they had gotten more forward. “I mean that if you would like to touch me, I would let you… that is to say that I would enjoy it.” She wanted to clarify that. Mary wasn't about to just let him do things to her that she didn't want.

“If you would rather we didn't, then I am happy to stay here and let you continue to make me breathless with kisses.” His kisses were fantastic, making her pulse race and her cheeks flush. She leaned in to press her lips to his jaw, moving slowly up towards his ear.

---

He wasn’t sure how to interpret that either. “I’m enjoying myself very much,” he said sincerely. “I’ve always been a big fan of kissing.” He was a big fan of a lot of other stuff too, that was very true, but this was really good, too. Like he’d been saying to Admiral Pike, Mary wasn’t the type of woman he would just take back to his quarters, sleep with, and then never see again. He didn’t know for sure what he was doing with her or where this was going, but he wasn’t going to make any assumptions or, on the other hand, fuck it all up.

He took her chin in his fingers and turned her face up to kiss her again slowly, settling back against the corner of the booth and pulling her alongside him. “Have you been enjoying San Francisco?” he asked, breaking the kiss and brushing her hair off her face. He reached for his beer and took a long sip.

---

Mary was also scared of screwing this up, scared that Jim would think she was too old-fashioned for him. She didn’t really think that was the case, but they were separated by 300 years and a lot had changed. She bit her lip for a moment when he pulled away, wondering if she had said or done something wrong.

“Yes. It’s a beautiful city,” Mary replied, picking up her whiskey again. “I rather like just walking along the bay. Do you have a favorite thing to do here other than going to the bars?” She leaned against him, feeling comfortable in his embrace.

---

He shook his head. “I don’t really spend too much time here, haven’t since the Academy. So when I’m here, yeah, it’s mostly just bars.” And women. “And paperwork. And meetings. That’s about it. Nothing exciting. Not like this.” He grinned at her from behind his beer bottle.

---

“Is this exciting?” She asked with a smile, hoping that he wouldn’t misinterpret that. Mary was enjoying herself, even if it was only because she was getting to spend time with him and be a bit physically intimate. “Your whole face lights up when you grin like that,” Mary continued, a grin spreading across her own face. She had been told that her grin changed her face too. It wasn’t very often that she smiled like that though.

---

“So does yours,” he whispered, lifting a hand to rub her cheek gently, then he leaned in to kiss her again. “You should definitely smile more often.” He deepened the kiss, setting his bottle aside again. He slid his hands on either side of her neck and pulled her in close to him.

---

She kissed him for a long moment before pulling back to breathe. “Perhaps you will give me reasons to smile more often.” Her brown eyes met his blue ones. “You’re truly one of the most handsome men I have ever seen, Jim. I think you’re extraordinary. I’m very attracted to you.. If that is not rather obvious.” Mary laughed gently. She was pretty sure he could tell how she felt.

---

Jim leaned his head to either side as if thinking about what she was saying. His hand fell to the side of her waist, his fingers against the top of her pants, a thumb slipping along the bare skin between her blouse and pants. “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious,” he said. But he didn’t mind. She was one of the most direct women he’d ever known. Too often he spent time with coy women who flirted and fawned over him but weren’t direct with their intentions or desires. Mary was direct. He wondered if that was the only way she could have shown interest in someone in her time period. “I like it.” He grinned and kissed her again.

---

She gasped a little when she felt his thumb on her bare skin. It sent a pleasurable chill through her. While Mary knew how to be polite, she also did not like to beat around the bush. She said what she meant and could ask for what she wanted. For a woman of her time, that was quite bold.

“And?” She asked against his lips. “You have no thoughts about me?” Mary wasn't expecting a declaration of love, but hearing what he liked about her would be nice.

---

He settled back against the corner of the booth, his fingers stroking against the soft skin just at her waist, and looked at her. “I like you too, Mary,” he said. “I’ve gotta be honest. It’s tough being a captain and conducting - “ He didn’t want to call this a relationship because that word terrified the hell out of him. “Affairs with the people around me. So I just want to make it clear that I don’t want anything we do to affect us once we get back to the Enterprise.” He reached up to push a strand of hair behind her ear. “Okay?”

---

Funny, to Mary the word affair implied something illicit, even if what they were doing was not. She nodded. “I wouldn't want that either,” she said. “You should also know that my interest in you isn't only due to the fact that you are the captain.” Pike had told her to get to know the man behind the chair, and that's exactly what she was trying to do. Fortunately, she liked what she saw, even if it involved taking her to a dive bar.

---

That surprised him. Not that she felt that way but that she was bringing it up. He remembered Pike mentioning that he’d gone horseback riding with her, and that could account for it. Still, saying it and meaning it were two different things. Not that Jim had any reason right now to not believe her. “I appreciate you saying that,” he said. He dragged his hand down her shoulder and over her back. “There’s definitely more to me than just the gold shirt,” he said with a wink.

---

“I’ve noticed,” she replied, “though I must say, they do look very good on you.” Mary gave him another coy smile and kissed him quickly before finishing up her whiskey. Her eyes moved back to the Vulcans who were still sitting stoically at the bar. “Vulcans are a very serious species, aren’t they?”

---

He shifted to pull her up against him so that they were both sitting casually in their booth as they finished their drinks. He only had a few swallows left of his beer, and he smiled over at her. He nodded toward the Vulcans. “I don’t know,” he said, “I rather like Spock, you know. I definitely couldn’t be captain without him as my first officer. I kind of think we complement each other.”

---

“You do,” Mary replied. “There is the idea that people of opposite personalities can fit rather well together.” She laid her head down on his shoulder. It had been a good night, and Mary found herself feeling content to be held by him while they watched the other people in the bar.