Welcome Home

[Annabelle O'Halloran 0]

Alpha shift coming to an end, Anna greeted her relief, Lt. Dana Garwood and logged off the console before standing up, preparatory to leaving the bridge. Since the Benecia System had been an oasis of calm since the Juno blew up, it took all of thirty seconds to pass the baton.

 

"Have a good one, Dana," she told him before heading to the turbolift and requesting Deck 6. She needed to stop by her office to pick up the duffel she'd left there after returning to the ship this morning with Wade and Jon. Agatha Wentworth, an astrophysicist in the science department, as well as a good friend and fellow cockatoo lover, had kindly agreed to care for Chauncey while she'd been away during the Juno investigation. She'd talked with her earlier and had asked Agatha to keep him for tonight. She hadn't seen Will for three days (and three nights) and planned on heading to his quarters as soon as she changed out of her uniform and into something a little more welcoming; something that said, 'I missed you crazy bad and now I plan to do something about it'.

 

She would have gone directly to the flight deck to meet him but his schedule probably hadn't let up in the time she'd been gone and she didn't want to distract him. Much better for him to find her waiting for him. Smiling to herself, Anna tapped the panel outside the door to her quarters and automatically stepped forward...only to come to a sudden stop as the door failed to open. Surprised, she tapped the panel again, starting to frown as it once more refused to budge. She didn't have time for this. Dropping the duffel, she raised her hand to tap her comm badge to give Ops a call to find out why she'd been locked out.

 

Will Tomlinson jogged down the hall and smiled as he saw that Anna was at the door of her quarters. He stopped and watched as she had trouble getting in. Just as she went to tap her comm-badge, Will's warm hand stopped her as he hugged her from behind. "Hey, beautiful. Having problems?"

 

"Will," she smiled with surprise but didn't turn around, leaning back into his warmth and luxuriating in the feel of his arms around her. "My quarters no longer recognize me," she laughed. "And I was only gone 72 hours. Oh well," she shrugged, finally turning to wrap her arms around his waist while tipping her head back to grin up at him. "My plan was to get changed and then get over to your place to have dinner waiting for when you got off shift. I guess I'll go ahead and give Ops a call. After you kiss me, of course."

 

Will loved the way the way she smiled at him. He enjoyed that smile before bending down to lay a nice deep kiss on her lips. "Well, you have some clothes over at my quarters. Why don't we go over there; you can change and then we can eat dinner before looking into this? What do you say pretty lady?" He asked playfully as he rubbed noses with her gently.

 

"It's a great plan," Anna agreed, reluctantly drawing away from him to pick up her duffel. "And it won't take any time to straighten out, but it's just that I wanted to surprise you." Unable to feel really disappointed because, after all, he was standing right next to her, Anna slid her arm around his waist and slanted him a teasing look as they started down the corridor. "This is just like you, too. Perfect timing as always--rescuing me from homelessness."

 

He smiles and puts an arm over her shoulders as they begin to walk. As they go down a couple of corridors, Will suddenly takes a different turn, "Oh hey, we need to make one quick stop first." He only partially succeeds at hiding a wicked grin as they walk. After a few more twists and turns, he stops at a door, opens it and allows her to go in first. As they enter, he watches her reaction when she realizes just where they are.

 

Stepping forward, Anna was confused until she saw her grandmother's afghan lying folded on the couch and then spotted the Bravian crystal plant he'd given her on an end table. She set her duffel in one of the chairs before turning to face Will, both hands on her hips as she took in his grin and the laughter in his eyes. "You've been busy," she stated, and then waited a beat before a blinding smile of happiness flashed across her face and she rushed to throw her arms around him. "What a wonderful welcome home surprise, Will," she murmured, nuzzling his neck, thinking how much she adored him. He'd been absolutely swamped with work lately and somehow, he'd managed to make time to get them both moved into their new, shared quarters.

 

Almost taken off guard, Will laughed and had to take a step back to absorb the impact of Anna jumping on him. He wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed her attentions for a moment before speaking again. "I'm glad you like it. Since you mentioned dinner, why don't you make something for us while I set the proper mood." He seemed to glide around her and whispered in her ear as he ended up behind her. "And perhaps, after dinner, you and I can properly 'christen' our new home." His hands playfully squeezed her shoulders before encircling her hips suggestively.

 

"Perhaps?" Twisting her neck to meet his eyes, Anna folded her hands over his, snuggling back against him. "Barring red alert, your immediate future is nothing but a surety, Lieutenant." Still locked on his gaze, Anna slowly smiled, asking, "What if we eat a little later...?"

 

Will eyes lit up at her suggestion of eating later. "Absolutely. After all, there is nothing wrong with working up an appetite, is there?" He laid a sweet kiss on her lips that seemed to last for an eternity for the both of them before he swept her off of her feet and headed for the bedroom. He loved the sound of her surprised giggle as he took her away to what promised to be a welcome release after being separated for three whole days and nights.