Midnight Rendezvous

Posted on Sun Jan 7th, 2024 @ 8:12pm by Captain Remy Johansen

1,528 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Menagerie: side stories & mischief making
Location: Jupiter Station
Timeline: MD: -9 Days to Launch 2130 hours

Captain Daniel Jackson, PhD, sat the corner of the station's cafeteria nursing a scotch and water. He was wearing a well fitting gray sweater and and bergundy pants. Daniel was research Scientist temporarily assigned to Jupiter Station, and he and Remira Johansen had arranged to meet here after her arrival to check in on her new assignment, the USS Imperator which currently in spacedock at the station. He arrived a few minutes early. He didn't like to keep a woman waiting.

Remy walked in a few minutes later still in uniform, looking somewhat distracted, checking out her surroundings not seeming to focus on any one thing. When her eyes landed on Daniel she smiled softly. It had been almost a year, maybe it was longer. Time seemed to get away from her so easily these days. She found herself feeling somewhat awkward as she approached his table. You never knew how much had changed when you went so long without keeping in touch.

Daniel stood up as she approached, "It's good to see you, Remira," he said warmly, placing his arms over hers in a friendly embrace and kissing her cheek. "I'm glad you could make it," he gestured to a seat.

"Fancy finding you here," Remy commented some playful cheek to her demeanor. "And our paths cross again," she said as she sat down.

"Can I get you something to drink, they have a nice Chianti, or is it more of a rum kind of night?" he asked, hoping she would stay a while.

"Really, that's not synthahol?" She asked, looking at his glass. "I figured this close to headquarters... wine would be nice," Remy agreed with a nod.

"I'll be right back. The cafe isn't staffed 24/7. Don't go anywhere," Daniel said has he walked across the room and helped himself to the area behind the bar. He walked back with a generous pour of red wine and the rest of the bottle, along with a second glass.

Daniel sat down and raised his unfinished glass of scotch in a toast. Remy responded in turn and looked at Daniel to see what he might say. "To old friends," he said with sentiment, meeting her eyes with admiration.

Remy touched her glass to his and took a sip as she tried to read what was behind his expression. She'd expected a cooler welcome. Actually she hadn't expected a welcome at all. When they last parted ways, she was the one who would forget to respond, or simply feel like she had nothing to say. Or was it more that she was worried if she were more responsive he might start looking for a commitment - something that she'd masterfully avoided with romantic partners.

But, he was attractive, a brilliant scientist, and even as she sat here now she remembered what had drawn her to him in the first place.

"Is that what we are... old friends?" she mused coyly, swirling the wine in her glass before taking another sip.

Daniel finished off his scotch and water and poured himself a small glass of the Chianti. "Well what would you call it?" he asked, punting the question back to her. The tension between them was building, but neither of them knew if it was just in their minds or if the feeling was mutual.

"So what have you been up to these days?" Remy asked, changing the subject though not really. She was wondering did he have a girlfriend, a wife.

"A lot actually," Daniel started. Remy recognized the animated energy Daniel exhibited when he was excited about his work. "Some of the more recent work is classified, though with your background, I'm sure I could get you clearance. Shortly after we last spoke I was sent on temporary assignment to Daestrom to study some artifacts that were surprisingly somewhat intact after being located in Federation airspace after the supernova." Daniel took an excited breath. "We believe the must have been on a planet or moon, or maybe even in a ship that was destroyed as collateral damage - not in the direct impact of the supernova obviously, and then made it's way here because of gravitational and orbital shifts."

"When we discovered the significance, I was dispatched out on the Titania to the region to try and locate more." Daniel lowered his voice. "We have the bulk of what hasn't been fully analyzed yet here on Jupiter station. We want to screen everything for safety purposes before moving them somewhere more permanent."

Remy's curiosity was peaked by Daniel's recount. She would be interested in learning what she could. She was a bio-engineer, and almost everything in her field had been classified by Starfleet since the synth ban. The fact that Daniel believed he could get her access made her think it might be related.

"That does sound fascinating. Yeah, if you can get me access, I would definitely want to see what you have," Remy responded, nodding in appreciation. "Is that why you asked to meet?"

Daniel shook his head. "No," he said simply.

Oh, thought Remy. Back to this. "Then why?" she asked. She felt as though she knew, but she wanted to hear him say it. She took a longer drink of her wine.

"To see if you'd come," Daniel responded. "I saw the crew manifest for the Imperator and knew you'd have to be arriving soon. I hoped to see you. Have a drink. Hear how you have been."

There was that look again. Remy smiled somewhat bashfully. "Well, here I am," she held up her wine and took another drink. "Having a drink. I've been well. Busy you know. Starship assignments keep you pretty tied up, and you never know where you are going to be, or what you might get into. Especially once you start taking command positions." Remy took another drink, and realized she sounded like she was making excuses. Well she was, but that really wasn't fair so she tried to backpedal. "I mean, that's no excuse. I'm sorry. I didn't mean. I should have kept in better touch. Or at least been more forthcoming. It was rude of me to ghost you like that. I was surprised you wanted to see me at all."

Remy refilled her glass waiting for the blow.

"What did happen, Remira? Did you meet someone? It's alright if you did. I just want you to be happy. I'm not saying I wouldn't have been disappointed, but I would... I do understand. It's not like we ever defined ourselves as exclusive." Daniel's questions weren't accusatory. She had thought he might be more angry.

Remira let out out a brief and soft laugh as she shook her head. "No, I didn't meet anyone, Daniel." She looked down at the table for a moment, not wanted him to see the truth in her eyes. She finally looked up. "In all honesty, it's me, it's the job. I've always been about my work. About being independent." She paused to take a breath before looking more deeply into his eyes. She continued in softer tone, "About not being accountable to anyone else. Not letting anyone get too close..."

At her last words Daniel pressed his lips together and tilted his head back in acknowledgment. There was the real reason. "So you did like me?" he teased.

Remy let out a breath, a bewildered smile playing on her face. "Of course I did, what kind of question is that?"

"Do you still?" He asked. Daniel sat back in his seat, not encroaching on her space, but watched her reaction carefully.

Remy tried to swallow the lump in her throat from being confronted with the question so directly. She took another drink of wine. She had not had enough alcohol for this. Yes, yes she did. She took a breath. "Daniel, don't you think you deserve better than this?" She used her hands to gesture to herself. "In 8 days I'll be off again. I clearly still have issues. You're perfect, you deserve someone who ca--" her words were cut off by his lips meeting hers. Remy found herself kissing him back, there in the public cafe.

Daniel paused the kiss momentarily, his lips still almost touching hers. He reached up, his thumb brushing along her jawline as his hand caressed the nape of her neck, his fingers intertwined in her soft, red hair. "Someone who will what?" He asked his voice almost a whisper.

"I forgot," Remy responded, not wanting the moment to stop. She leaned into the kiss this time, her hand reaching for his back to pull him in closer. She stopped, pulling back suddenly, putting clear distance between them.

Daniel put his hands up in an apology. "I'm sorry. What's wrong?"

Remy looked down at her shirt. "It's nothing. I just, we can't be doing this out here while I'm in uniform."

Daniel licked his lips and nodded. "Well, if that's all that's stopping us, come with me?" he asked as he held out his hand out for her to take.

Remy stood up and took Daniel's hand and nodded. "Lead the way."

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