A Moment Frozen In Time Part II

[DaveJohnson 0]

A Moment Frozen In Time Part II

A Log by Lt David Johnson

David stepped out of one of the lifts on McKinley Station and walked towards the lounge area following what he considered to have been a very successful meeting with Admiral Nakamura. It had been 4 months 2 days and 17 hours since he had seen his fiancée in person, and it had not been easy being away from her, only able to communicate over subspace. The two of them had recorded more than a dozen letters to each other but because of the distance and their busy schedules, it hadn’t been possible for them to have a live conversation.

 

David entered the lounge and looked around. He saw a two Bolians at a table in front of him eating a meal, four human Starfleet officers, two much older than he was and two about his age playing a friendly game of what looked like poker and a lone Vulcan in the corner reading over a padd and having what looked like a hot drink of some type. The Vulcan had dark skin and three pips on his collar. He looked older than most Vulcan’s David had met but like most humans, David couldn’t guess his age. Though he had never met this one before, David was sure that he recognized him from somewhere.

 

Before he could think of where…he saw her out of the corner of his eye. She was sitting at a table off to the side of the Vulcan’s table gazing at the stars with her blue eyes and sipping a glass of Vulcan red wine, a drink which she had introduced David to at the academy and was now his favorite drink. Her dark brown hair was at her side, tied in a single knot. She hadn’t bothered to do anything special with it, but David didn’t really care. He always joked that working under a warp core made fussing with his hair pointless.

 

David walked over to her slowly and from behind her so she wouldn’t notice him. Remembering an ancient earth trick that a friend of his had taught him, he cupped his hands in front of them and then, without warning put them over her eyes. She giggled and said, “Dick is that you? Aren’t you supposed to be in Sickbay?” David shook his head with a smile; he knew that she was referring to their mutual friend Richard Hart who served with Rebecca aboard the Rhode Island. He let out a mock sigh and said, “Do you honestly think that Richard would surprise you like this, or is it that you don’t recognize the feel of the hands of the man you love.” Rebecca instantly spun around in her chair and looked at him, with an expression on her face that even David couldn’t describe. It was one of happiness, surprise, and passion all rolled into one. David had a similar look on his face and for a split second, the two just stared at each other, as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. Then, David slowly grabbed Rebecca around the waist and hoisted her out of her chair. He spun her around being careful not to hit anyone as she let out a laugh. He set her down and the two leaned into each other and kissed. Just as David predicted, kissing the woman that he loved made him forget any and all negative things that he had had since the two had parted that day at the transport station, and even though the kiss may have lasted for just a few seconds, it really didn’t matter. Time did seem to standstill as Rebecca hugged David tightly and rested her head on his shoulder.

 

The others at the lounge we’re looking at the couple with varied expressions on their faces but nobody said anything, either because they didn’t feel they needed to, or because they didn’t know what to say. The Vulcan sitting in the corner raised his right eyebrow slightly for a moment as he looked at them and then went back to his padd.

 

The two had yet to actually say anything to each other but it was very obvious how they we’re both feeling. After about thirty second or so, David pulled back, took his fiancés hand, knelt down, took a small box from his pocket and popped it open. Inside was a gold ring, with a diamond, which happened to be Rebecca’s birth stone. David had used two weeks worth of replicator rations to make it, but it had been worth eating ration packs for that length of time, just to see Rebecca’s expression, which was still one of surprise and happiness. He slipped it onto her ring finger and then stood up. Wrapping his arms around her waist again he smiled and said, “Do you like it?” “Of course…but…being with you is the best engagement present of all,” Rebecca replied as she smiled back and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. “Come on, we’ll head back to my quarters, I think that we have already made too much of a public display.” David chuckled and said, “What, you mean me grabbing you and spinning you around, or me bending down to give you your engagement ring.” Rebecca chuckled back and then took David by the waist out of the lounge.

 

After they had left, one of the Starfleet officers that had been playing poker got up and walked over to the older looking Vulcan. He sat down smiled and said, “You know, I don’t think I ever did something like to Deanna. Isn’t it just wonderful when two young people, presumably about to get married have a moment like that, Commander?” The Vulcan looked up at him with no distinguishable expression on his face, and replied, “I don’t consider a public display of affection particularly wonderful Captain, but I must admit that it did tend to happen with regularity aboard Voyager, and I have no doubt that it will happen with regularity aboard the Titan.” The man chucked and said, “No doubt, Commander, and as my first officer, I expect you to make sure that if you see something like that, try to think as humans do rather than jumping to conclusions as you may have when you we’re serving with Admiral Janeway, not all of us are as logical as you. I’m sure she told you that,” he said with a smile. “Indeed she did,” the Vulcan replied, “But, Admiral Janeway had her own logic, which was shall I say, unique, especially when it came to her decisions regarding relations between crewmembers, and from what I have read, Captain Picard was much the same way.” The man smiled, and said, “Yes, yes he was, but then, he never actually had a wife, well, none to my knowledge. Marriage does tend to change a man” The Vulcan looked at him, again with really no expression in particular and replied, “Indeed it does, Captain, indeed it does.”