Back and Forth

Posted on Mon Mar 25th, 2019 @ 9:18pm by Lieutenant Commander Catrina (Cat) Tendai & Ensign Connor Turner

1,398 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Mission 2: Into The Breach
Location: Engineering
Timeline: MD05 - 1330

Cat shook off the drinks she'd had over the last...however long she'd been bouncing between Candy and Connor. But she'd still have to face Connor at least one more time. Getting back to engineering, she spotted him working and walked over, leaning against the console next to the one he was at. "Work help at all?"

Connor shook his head. "The computers aren't listening, like normal," he complained. "They're glitching. I can't understand it. It is like their entire personalities have been changed."

"Nothing has changed, and no one has touched them unless someone made changes without telling me while we were gone." She sighed, "You sure you're listening to them properly...after everything going on today?"

"Pretty sure," he replied concerned. He put his head to the console he was on. "She just sounds off."

Cat frowned. "We can work on that later. I um..brought a message from someone."

"Oh?" Connor asked interested.

"Candy wants to try to find more time to talk but has an assignment she can't get away from. Hopefully she'll reach out once she's back, but doesn't know how long it'll be." She crossed her arms and shook her head.

"You don't believe her, do you?" Connor asked observing Cat's body language.

"The fact that she actually has an assignment? That part I do." Cat shrugged. "And it isn't that I don't believe that she'll be back. The how long it'll take her to get back is the part that I don't know." She looked over at him. "She was hoping you'd come back to talk to her after you talked to me."

"I bet," he grumbled. "She is never uncertain, is she?"

She pushed herself up off the console a bit, but not to leave, it just wasn't comfortable. "Actually, I think she is uncertain. She loves you, that makes everyone uncertain, that feeling. Especially when you don't know where the other one fully stands."

Connor tilted his head to the side, obviously confused. "Ho, er, Candy is uncertain? Why? That's definitely not normal."

"She's uncertain because of so many things. Because she knows how she feels about you, hopes you feel the same but doesn't know for sure. She realized that logic has no play in love after thinking you could logically figure things out."

"It should be logical," Connor protested.

Cat shook her head, "But it isn't. Trust me on this, I've been through enough to know it never is logical."

"I've only really been through it with, Holly, er, um, Candy. I mean, um, I've had some unrequited crushes, but, um, she's the only one that ever, well, um, got me."

"She still gets you too, doesn't she? I recognize love between two people when I see it."

"That, um, doesn't mean that we're right for one another," Connor replied sighing. "I mean, the things she does and well, you know...."

Cat sighed. "I know what she does, she almost got me in trouble with command, remember? But there is a love between you two...even after all this time apart it is still there. Even after finding out who she is, you still love her, don't you?"

"I love Holly, or who I thought she was," Connor told Cat. "I don't really know who Candy is. How could I? Everything we shared could have been a lie."

"Connor, from my conversations between the two of you, I can tell you that what she shared besides her identity was not a lie. Even just thinking about you, it's got her daydreaming and remembering the past."

"I was going to marry her, Cat! Or at least propose to marry her! How can I marry someone I don't really know, let alone someone that admitted to doing things that we only should have been doing with each other, with other people."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "When she gets back, you two need to figure this out. There are obvious feelings between the two of you, they just need work now that you know who she is."

"And when will she return? Another two years, Cat? This is not really fair, is it?"

"I'd tell you that if I knew, Connor. I don't know if she's left yet, you could always go check. Call her on the comms, or something. It's hard enough not knowing if the person you love is alive or dead, but when that person is there, you should run to them." She still felt like she was horrible at giving any type of love advice, but if she could bring these two back together..it would be worth it.

"No," he said after a long pause. "I can't do it. I just can't."

"Connor," Cat turned to face him, turning him to face her, "You wouldn't be this way if you didn't love her. Somewhere inside, pushing all logic aside, you want to at least try, don't you?"

"I think your logic is circular. What way do you mean? Could I not just be angry? Why do I have to want to try? And based on what? That she's an enchantress?"

"I never said you couldn't be angry at what she did. Sometimes have to let things cool down a bit. But even then, somewhere inside of both of you is a love for each other. Shouldn't give up on love."

"So, I should wait another two years, is what you're saying?"

She shook her head. “That isn’t what I’m meaning. You take the time you think you need to figure this out in your head. You already know what your heart is telling you. But you’ll dwell on it if you two don’t eventually find the time to talk this out.”

"But she's going, Cat! You said so yourself." He sighed. "I probably should have dated a nice girl, like you." He blushed furiously and buried his head in the computer console. "I mean, well, um, you know what I mean, um, I think."

"I know what you meant, Connor. And she's going for work, but even she wants to try to figure things out. When she thinks about you...you should see the way she acts. She doesn't want to lose you."

"That does not make sense, Cat," Connor replied, trying to take a peek back at Cat, but quickly averting his eyes. "If she was so concerned, why stay away for two years? Why go away now? I don't get it."

Cat sighed. "I don't have all the answers, Connor. Those are things you'll have to ask her." She found a blank PADD and slid it over to him. "Write up all the questions now so you don't forget them. You can then ask her yourself when she's back from whatever this thing is she needs to do."

Excitedly, Connor took the PADD. "Now that's a great idea! I don't tend to remember much in her presence," he told Cat. "I mean, you like women.... How do you keep your mind on things with her in the room?"

“Err..um...” She didn’t want to think about that, but knew it would help him. “It's hard. Hell, I think it's hard for anyone, no matter the relationship. You have to try to pull yourself away from the thoughts in your head keeping you from saying anything coherent and try to keep focused.”

"Right," Connor replied. "So, list. Bullet points. I probably should highlight some of the finer points, right?"

Cat smirked. "All of it. Whatever comes to mind that you want to discuss."

"OK!" Connor replied energized. "I think I had better get on this."

“You aren’t technically supposed to be on duty. Go on and work on it. You better be back tomorrow morning though.”

"Of course I will be!" Connor exclaimed. "Why would I not be at work? Where else would I be?"

Cat grinned, "Just saying. I am your boss after all. Go on, do what you need to do that isn't work for the rest of the day."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Connor squealed as he skittered out of Engineering for the day.

Shaking her head, she made sure what he'd been working on was finished up before heading back to her office. She had to now work while getting over all those drinks she just had.

 

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