Writer's Block ((Matthews/Caine))

[C.T. Caine 0]

Caine moved along the corridor of the Agincourt, a couple of PADDs full of the closest thing to comprehensive Soltan tactical information tucked under her arm. Colonel Harper had arranged for as much information as was available to be forwarded down to her department; Caine had sent it on to those of her subordinates who had tactical or engineering expertise and meant to look over it herself. Unfortunately, even the information that they had was sketchy, but it was better than nothing. For now, she was on her way to check in with Buddha Matthews, confined to quarters and demoted after his outburst at Commander JoNs, and on the crewmen guarding him. She didn't figure he was likely to attempt an escape or anything like that, but he had seemed very upset (to the point of injuring himself) when she had last spoken to him and she meant to keep an eye on him if she could. Coming to a halt at the appropriate door, she nodded at Decatur and Spencer, the two young crewman manning the doorway.

 

"Any trouble?"

 

"No, sir," Decatur said, coming sharply to attention as Caine addressed him. "He's just in there, sir..." He paused, then looked a little worried. "He hasn't eaten much. Or talked much. I don't think he's very good off, sir."

 

Caine nodded slowly. She wouldn't have been very happy in Buddha's place either -- though she also wouldn't have been in that position in the first place. There were a lot of things to do that would help a situation, but she'd long since learned that mouthing off to the XO wasn't one of them. "Alright...as you were, Crewman."

 

"Yes, sir!"

 

Leaning forward, she pinged the chime to warn Buddha she was coming, then tapped the door open and stepped through.

 

Owen didn't even bother to look up. He was sitting on the sofa, staring at the PADD lying on the coffee table in front of him. His uniform was disheveled, his hair looked unkempt and an empty bottle of whiskey was standing next to the PADD. Dark circles under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept much, if at all. He ran one hand through his hair for about the thousandth time since beginning to write the letter. After a few seconds he picked up the PADD and tossed it across the room onto the pile that had already formed there.

 

Caine eyed this scene of desperation with a raised eyebrow as the door hissed shut behind her. A moment of silence stretched before she spoke. "Hello, Owen."

 

Taking a deep breath re raised his head to look at her. "Hey. I'm sorry for the mess," he said gesturing at the pile of PADDs and the usual pieces of clothing lying around.

 

"I've seen worse," Caine said with a shrug, her grey eyes remaining fixed on him. "You, on the other hand, look terrible."

 

"Thanks," he answered curtly, scratching his chin which, usually shaven clean, was now covered in stubble. "Come to check on me?"

 

"More or less." Caine could tell he wasn't happy, and while as chief of security she was responsible for making sure he remained in this predicament, it didn't stop her from a certain amount of concern. "I hear JoNs came down pretty hard."

 

He shook his head, leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. "It's not the demotion or that I'm confined to quarters, Cain. I deserved that for being stupid. She ordered me to write a letter......to my sister and nephew." He had told Caine once that the two had died during the Soltan attack on Earth but he didn't feel like going into details.

 

Caine blinked. "That's...a bit unorthodox, I suppose," she said, quirking an eyebrow up.

 

Owen just shrugged. "This wasn't the first time I got into trouble with JoNs. Last time I took a leave to...deal with things. She figures I'm still not over it...never got a chance to say goodbye...is what she said I think. She wants me to do so in a letter now." He looked up at Caine with a mixture of despair, anger, and anguish. "I'm not sure I can do this," he said quietly.

 

Caine nudged aside a dirty uniform jacket and a pair of boxer shorts to settle herself onto a chair near him, her expression displaying sympathy for the despair in his voice. "It sounds hard as hell," she agreed bluntly, leaning towards him with her elbows resting on her knees. "Saying goodbye never feels good."

 

"She was my big sister, you know. She'd always stick up for me when I got into trouble as a kid. I remember, I was devastated when she left for college. I thought she'd always be there."

 

Caine nodded slowly. "Must have been good to have that support as a kid," she said noncommittally, letting him talk as he needed to.

 

Caine's words didn't quite register with Owen. He was lost in memories. After a few minutes he took a deep breath and looked back up at Caine. "I got in trouble quite a lot, especially with my dad. He wasn't a very understanding man and I wasn't a very well-behaved kid. I've gotten my share of beatings and Susan would patch me up afterwards. She also suggested I'd enlist in Starfleet when I was old enough so I'd be able to get away from home."

 

"Not a bad idea, that," Caine murmured, her expression a little troubled. It didn't sound like Owen had a great childhood (and she was no shrink but she had to admit this explained a certain amount about him).

 

Owen just sat there, staring at the PADD in front of him again. Usually he didn't talk about his family, especially not his parents but he somehow felt like he owed Caine an explanation. "I've been trying to write this since I got back from sickbay yesterday."

 

Caine looked at him for a moment in silence and then laid her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should take a break," she suggested gently. "Take a rest on it and try again when you haven't made so much progress on a bottle of whiskey. Doesn't sound like the sort of thing you'll turn out in a day."

 

Owen gave a noncommittal grunt. "You're probably right. I should take a nap. I mean, it's not like I've got anything else to do." He smiled weakly. "Thanks Caine."

[Kansas 0]

"I hear JoNs came down pretty hard."

 

"...She ordered me to write a letter......to my sister and nephew." He had told Caine once that the two had died during the Soltan attack on Earth but he didn't feel like going into details.

 

Caine blinked. "That's...a bit unorthodox, I suppose,"

 

My Taboo Cat and Orthodox? If Kansas were ever to go orthodox as an officer, I'd retire her as a character.

 

Very, very nice log 'Junior' Caine and 'Buddha' Matthews!