Author: Christina A.
Website: Bring On the Rain
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Space: Above and Beyond belong to various big companies. No money is being made out of this story.
Rating: G
Recipient: Shaye
She sat in Ten Forward looking out at the stars as they rushed by. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to the mode of transportation in this century. Oh, spaceships weren't a big deal for Shane. The captain was more than acclimated to space travel. What she wasn't used to was the luxury of it. This ship, the USS Enterprise, was the cream of the crop - the flagship of an alliance of planets known as the Federation.
Where she came from, there was only Earth. A solitary planet that had been locked in a gruesome war for it's very existence. They fought a ruthless enemy that sought only to commit genocide. She wasn't sure how well she was adjusting though. She was playing the role of "good soldier", but the truth was, she missed her home.
There was, of course, one bright spot in all of this. Her head lifted as she saw the doors slid open and Commander William T. Riker walked into the room. She hadn't really been around a man who affected her the way he did. There was simply a presence about him, something that drew her to him. More than likely it was that he knew how to take command - he didn't look to her for answers.
She remembered telling the other members of the 58th that one time. She remembered telling them that she hadn't wanted to be in command. She wanted to be issued orders and to follow them - she didn't want to give them. She had ended up giving them though. Not here. Here, she followed orders - and didn't even have to salute in the process.
As he sat across from her and gave her a big smile, she rolled her eyes dramatically. "You so look like the proverbial cat who ate the mouse. What have you been up to, Commander Riker?"
"Weeeelll, Captain Vansen," he teased with her rank, "it's going to be a surprise. Call it an anniversary present of sorts."
"Who's anniversary?"
"Yours. One year ago, your Hammerhead dropped out of that temporal wormhole and dropped you in our path."
"Has it been a year?" she asked, looking back out at the space that surrounded them.
He nodded as he studied her profile. "It has. Still missing home, huh?"
"Not so much now as I was when I first arrived. They've all pretty much given me up for dead. I have to admit, Commander ..."
"Shane, by now you can call me Will."
"Even in public?" she teased.
"I think everyone knows."
Of course, he was referring to the fact that everyone knew that their relationship was much more than friendship. She smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Okay ... Will ... I'm going through a phase where I could possibly be missing home." Reaching out, she put her hand on his. "But I wouldn't go if I could."
He smiled widely, turning his hand over so it could hold hers. "Oh that's good to hear. Now I can tell you about your surprise."
"Risa?" she questioned. "You are not tricking me into carrying around one of those statues again, William Riker." She squeezed his hand affectionately.
He laughed aloud, drawing several looks from others around them. He quieted and leaned forward. "There is no way I want you near a Horga'hn. I'm keeping you all to myself this time, Captain."
She winked back at him in return. "Well okay then. So long as I don't have to tote one around. I'm not really the kind of girl who appreciates having strange men throwing themselves at her."
He gave her a look of mock-offense. "I'm not strange?"
"Oh, you're perhaps the strangest man I've ever met. But I'm biased." She watched him for several moments, lost in his smile. When she found her voice to speak again, she asked, "So ... are you going to tell me or what?"
"Sure. When we get there."
"You're an ass."
It was his turn to look affronted. "Now, Captain, is that anyway to talk to the first officer?"
"Nope, but it's how I talk to you."
"Touché."
"You are completely dodging the question, aren't you?"
"Tell me, Shane, in your century, what does the word 'surprise' mean."
She tried to give him her best glare. "It means avoiding a question and angering Shane Vansen. That's what it means."
He laughed again. "Oh good. Well it means the same thing now as it did then." He squeezed her hand. "It's good to see that some things haven't changed in the past few centuries." He stood and continued to hold her hand as he led her out of Ten Forward. They meandered down the corridor slowly, not bothering to pull away from each other when they entered the turbolift and were joined by an Ensign. It did save him from more pointed questions from her as he curiosity continued to get the best of her.
They wound their way to the holodeck and he gazed into her face as he spoke to the computer. "Run program, Vansen One."
The computer spoke back informing them the program was indeed underway.
As they stepped inside, Shane paused. Her hand went immediately to her chest. She hated showing emotion - crying was something she avoided as much as she could. As she stood in the holodeck and looked around her, she turned misty eyes to him. "Will ... how did you?"
"From your descriptions. I was actually listening when you talked about your past, Shane."
She was looking at the inside of the Officer's Club on the Saratoga. It was practically perfect. Maybe a minor detail or two was off, but overall, it was the spitting image of the ship she left behind. Turning to him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly to her. "Commander ... it's ..."
"Better than Risa?"
She nodded vigorously. "It's perfect. Thank you."
When she'd first been flung out of that wormhole and into this future, she had been admittedly scared and unsure. Oh, she hadn't let anyone know that she was scared. She'd worn her 'tough girl' image like a badge of courage, but when she let Commander Riker in, he effectively broke down all her walls. The proof of the kind of man he was was more than evident here ... with this gift for the anniversary of her arrival here. The fear lifted away to be replaced with an emotion she thought she'd never feel again.
"Thank you," she said again softly.