"Chilly Reunion"

[Cptn Elias Moore 0]

Elias stared over the mess hall table and through the steam rising from the plate of jambalaya at Julie. The steam was fairly indicative of the tension hanging between the two of them, staring silently at each other, he with a stern, searching expression, she with an anxious, waiting expression.

 

"Captain Moore, huh?" Julie broke the silence and the steam. She was attempting a smile. "Never thought I'd see it, Eli."

 

Elias chose, naturally, to receive the remark as an insult rather than an icebreaker. Writing about his agitation with the mission and ship upgrades already had him out of any kind of a mood for pleasantries. But for eight years, this woman had been equated with the very concept of insult in Elias' mind.

 

He'd said nothing when she'd greeted him. When she'd asked if she could sit, he had not replied. She'd sat anyway. He'd merely stared. When she'd punctured the long silence with the comment about his rank, it'd become clear that she was not going explain her presence. So, now, he simply asked, "What are you doing here?"

 

She blinked and tried not to look hurt. "Eight years, Elias. It's been eight years, and that's the first thing you have to say?"

 

"Maybe you've forgotten the last thing you said?" He asked in reply, trying not to sound icy.

 

"I think it was something along the lines of 'I'll be waiting for you'" She answered defiantly.

 

"Looks like you couldn't wait too long." He replied, a touch more venom in his voice.

 

"I didn't come here for you!" She replied, a load more defiance in her voice.

 

"Then why *are* you here?" Elias asked, trying to maintain his composure, to hold back the shouts of anger that were left unreleased that day eight years ago. He was the Captain now. He needed to maintain a cool head; he knew that much. "I'm listening."

 

"I'm here... in the mess... because Starfleet was asking for a civilian to help out in the galley. You do remember that I have a culinary degree?"

 

Elias had to search his memory for this tidbit of information. He remembered that she was a great cook... and, yes, he recalled her taking culinary studies at the Institute. But it had never exactly been a career path. Something wasn't adding up. "You're not a chef, Julie. You're a writer. What would you be doing here, anyway? There are a hundred places back home where you could cook."

 

"This is the only place where I want to write. You don't have to sound so displeased to see me."

 

"I'm just looking for answers. You noticed that I'm a Captain... this means I have quite a bit on my plate. I don't need to the distraction of a person who walked out of my life suddenly coming right back into it."

 

"I told you, I didn't come back here for you!" Julie's answer was close to a shout, loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the mess hall. Elias' eyes flicked around and he started to wish that he was somewhere else. "You still think the universe turns around you, don't you? You're just going to have to get used to the fact that I'm not here to crawl back into your arms. I'm here to write a book about Starfleet."

 

Elias narrowed his eyes at her. "You hate Starfleet."

 

"People change, Elias. Well..." She looked away and threw him a sideways glance. "Most people do. Anyway, how do you know that the book will be pro-Starfleet?"

 

"Because any assignment to this ship would have to be cleared by people who want nothing remotely anti-Starfleet near it. Don't tell me you're another one of Admiral Gardner's gift-wrapped headaches?"

 

Julie rolled her eyes at him. "I don't even know who that is. For your information, no one back home knows about the book. You're the first person I've told. They assigned me because I'm the only person with a culinary degree who would show any interest in a starship galley position. Like you said, there are a ton of places back home for people with my qualifications."

 

"Then having you removed from the ship could be as easy as telling Starfleet all about your little sham?"

 

A hardened look came over Julie's face, the first sign that she was trying to cover up the fact that Elias' words were cutting through her. "Fine. I came over here because I thought we could talk about the things that happened, put them behind us, and... and try to be friends. If you don't want that, fine, but you don't need to have me thrown back to Mars. I can just stay out of your way, keep to the galley and my quarters. We'll never need to talk to each other. But this is the only ship I could be assigned to. If you want a little revenge, to hurt my career, to kill my project... it's your ship and it's your decision."

 

Elias couldn't believe that he was being cast as the villain, after Julie had come aboard this ship under false pretenses for reasons that he still found questionable. "Eight years ago, you told me that I had to choose between you and Starfleet. You told me this wouldn't be the life for you. Why have you changed your mind? Why the interest in Starfleet now?"

 

Her expression didn't change. She hesitated a moment before answering in a flat voice. "Are we ready to move on and be on speaking terms again, Elias? Or are we going to avoid each other? Which is it going to be?"

 

They stared at each other for a few more moments, before Elias answered by rising and grabbing the pads that he had been working on. He turned from the table and strode from the mess hall without another word, followed by many curious eyes. Julie merely stayed seated, staring at the now cold plate of jambalaya and wiping away the moisture in her eyes...