A new Home (1/2)

Posted on 05 Feb 2016 @ 12:01pm by Corporal Abbey St James

2,751 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo, various locations
Timeline: MD4, 1700 hours

ON:
Abbey sat on her bed, the room was bare and since it wasn't safe for her to have a shared room the other bed was as bare as hers and though she was alone she wasn't really alone. With camera's installed outside her room and a guard waiting for her to follow her around day in and day out. She was surprised when the door chime rang. She was now wearing one of the federations uniform but still kept her scarf belt which was now instead of behind held together with the empires emblem it was being held together with a federation badge. Against protest she had also adapted her uniform so it was a skirt with a small amount of bare belly and then a top much like her old one but far less revealing. "Urm... Come in?!" She shouted only moving to the edge of her bed her high knee socks hiding most of her legs as she eyed the boots that she had only just taken off.

Almost shyly, Wintrow inched inside. "Hi," he greeted, while sizing her up. "I thought I'd check how you're doing. I'm sorry I couldn't visit you before but I was ordered not to."

She shrugged "I gathered as much, it was either that or you was glad to be rid of me and decided never to drop by" Abbey's tone was unreadable but she gathered the look of happiness which she tried to suppress was a front page article on her face.

The tone might be unreadable, but her emotions weren't. And Wintrow picked up on them reasonably easily. "Now why would I do that? I told you I wouldn't leave you by yourself and that I'd help you."

She smiled shunning herself for allowing her to do so, she had been acting steely and like an ice queen since she was let out of the brig. The crew gave her looks whether she went and could feel the daggers pounding her back. "I guess you did, so what brings you to my humble abode" Abbey said mockingly gesturing around the room.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," the teenager explained, while pulling up a chair, "are you being treated alright? i see you got new clothes but uhm...maybe you should wear our uniform as it's supposed to be, and not make edits that make you stand out like a sore thumb?"

"This is your uniform! I've looked into it and im not actually a part of the federation and since other species like the Bajorans and the Klingons are allowed to wear there own uniforms I shall wear mine. I earned this uniform" She said firmly, "But I am good and I am being treated well, but im surprised no one has tried to kill me yet"

Wintrow shook his head. "No that's not our uniform. While the female dress does offer a shirt it's not so...revealing. It still has the standard jacket and shirt, like mine. But most females choose to wear the pants and jacket because it's much more practical than the skirt or even the dress."

"I'll bet my left foot I can beat any of there asses dressed in this and hell I could probably do it in a Pink tutu!" She laughed "Want to go out somewhere?" Abbey then asked standing placing her hands on her hip her figure taking shape as she curled her toes in the black socks.

"It's got nothing to do with beating anyone Abbey, it's about common decency, and practicality. "And not if you dress like that. Are you even allowed to leave? I saw the guard at the door, and he only let me in because I'm cleared to."

She nodded "Of course I'm allowed to leave I'm 'Not a prisoner here'" She said crossing her arms her breast being pushed up noticeably and mimicking Hollidays voice. "Just have a shadow for the entire time"

"Oh you mean the guard outside." Wintrow shrugged. "I doubt you'll notice his presence, they're trained to be invisible when they need to be you know. Even so, I strongly recommend you wear something that resembles our uniforms and not what you're used to, if you want to blend in and not be stared after."

Biting her tongue she sighed and left Wintrow picking up a pile of clothes and trudging off to the bathroom for some privacy. Leaving the door half open she threw off the shortened top and skirt throwing them out of the bathroom and in the direction of Wintrow. She looked herself in the mirror and though her figure was lean and curved in all the right places she was marred with scars and burnt skin the only part of her not visible was the part covered by her socks, pants and sports bra another piece of clothing she was not used to wearing.

Tugging on her new clothes she now wore a short sleeved two piece long sleeved dress type uniform which was just above the knees and didn't really expose any part of her torso, neither did it over exaggerate her breasts. "There, happy?" She asked looking at him with a pout as she walked back into the room ready to go though she did keep her gold scarf, pinned together with the federation badge. Her hair was also down and curled around and her neck and over her left shoulder.

"Much better ma'am," the young man replied politely, while casting her an appreciative look. He blushed scarled as he realized he was staring, and averted his gaze. He stooped to pick up the clothes she'd tossed his way, and neatly draped them over a nearby chair. "Shall we? Where'd you like to go?"

Abbey smiled and gestured to the door "I'd like to take a walk along the promenade of the starbase and maybe sit at a cafes owned by Trills!" She said excitedly "Trill's were one of the species we accepted into the Terran empire because of their Humanoid background, it was only those creepy symbionts that were frowned upon" She explained.

"Creepy?" Wintrow gawked at her. "Don't know if they're creepy... Commander Stace is joined and while she's a little...daunting...she's not creepy..." He shrugged. "What about Betazoids? At first glance, they're Human..."

"They made good interrogators, the ones that joined us that is" She shrugged walking out of the door and willing him to join her. "Your telepathy kinda scares me a bit though, I'm glad you're half Human. Its just another thing I'm going to have to get used to!"

"I'm sure there's a lot of things you'll have to get used to," Wintrow offered, gesturing around them with one hand, while offering his other arm to her. "Like the harmony between species here, that didn't exist in your universe. Sure, we have our own battles but we're not exactly waging war with someone. Have you thought yet what you'd like to do, assuming they'll let you stay?"

Abbey was surprised when he offered his arm and she took it even more surprisingly "I dont think i'll be able to in security with my fath... Luke there but maybe Operations or Tactical?" She sighed feeling the warmth of his arms "I wont let them win you know, I wont want to be anywhere else no matter how many stares I get as I walk down the corridor or whispered remarks under their breaths thinking I cant hear them and I dont think i'll want to leave you either" She whispered.

"Leave Me?" Now it was Wintrow's turn to be surprised. "And why should you let them win. You've left all you held dear behind in the hopes of a better life. If anything, you're a refugee...and you're Human. Why shouldn't you be allowed to stay?"

She stopped "Look at me Wintrow, I have the same eyes, the same face, the same nose and the same god damn voice. My hair colour maybe different but everyone thinks I'm just a fraud, I'm not really her really, I know that and when people look at me that's who they see. Then they remind themselves that I'm that poor murderous Terran Empire girl." Abbey's emotions pouring out of her and for the first time since she could remember someone was there to actually listen.

"You're not her," Wintrow agreed, "you're your own person. If anything, you might be a twin, an identical twin at that, but you're not her and you shouldn't try to be her either." He frowned as she cursed, never having understood why people had such a need to use profanities. Not that he was religious in any sense, because he still hadn't figured out where he really belonged in that aspect. He stopped walking and stepped around so they were facing each other. "You're not a poor murderous Empire girl," he insisted, looking her right in the eyes. "You're Abbey Wyatt, and you've requested asylum to get away from that life. Maybe, if that would help, you could officially change your last name, say into your mother's last name?"

She mused over what he suggested "I, I think that might be a good idea you know!" She splayed her hands out infront of her as if testing the air and then spoke again "Abbey - Graves, what do you think?" She asked looking at Wintrow as they began walking again.

"Abbey Graves, that does sound nice." The boy smiled cheerfully. "It really does, and it'll distance you from your ah...twin and maybe people will see you as your own person. The only one who might have issue is your uh...father."

Abbey felt the glow in her stomach again as they reached and walked through the umbilical to the station "Maybe we should stop calling him my father?" She also suggested holding him closer now feeling eyes of federation and other humanoid species on her, she wasn't used to this.

"But I don't know what else to refer to him as. Technically he is your father...genetically anyway." He paused, turning to look at her. "Do you know what I'd give to even have one parent? All I have is a stepmother with a restraining order....and a half sister who I can't visit because I'm afraid mother will get to her. I need to keep her safe, even I don't know where she is right now, even though she occasionally calls."

"I know but I think this is a little different, he'd love anything to kill me right now and he's still grieving maybe in the future but right now I think I'm just going to stay out of his way." As they walked they past several venders and shops along the promenade until Abbey stopped marvelling at the Menu of one particular cafe "We have to eat here" She said tugging on Wintrows arm and pulling him towards the cafe.

"We do?" He peered at the establishment and found it nothing like anything he recognized. "Why this place? Does it remind you of anything?"

She stopped halfway into the cafe "Looke at the menu!" It sounds amazing" Abbey replied "Pleeeeeeease" She added trying her best pout and fluttering her eyelids..

Staring at the menu, Wintrow still had no clue as to why she seemed desperate to eat here. "It's fine by me but I still don't get it," he wondered out loud, then offered a pout of his own. "There's no haggis on the menu."

"HAGGIS!" Abbey said stumbling over her own words "Home made chocolate cheese cake more like it!" She laughed "If you really want haggis maybe we can find a place that does both?"

"Nah it's fine, it's just my favourite food." He smiled brightly at her. "I'm Scottish. And chocolate cheesecake....I love chocolate. Anything chocolate...how many Betazoids do you know that don't love chocolate?"

"I don't know any Betazoids, other than you!" She said taking a seat on the promenade "Wintrow... I, I want to thank you for the time you've been here for me i really appreciate it!" Her cheek's flushed a bright pink and her stomach turned into butterflies.

"There's a few on the ship," Wintrow pointed out, "and I'm only half remember." He looked away as she praised him, not really sure what to do with what she said. "Aww...it's only proper. I couldn't leave you to fend for yourself now could I? WIthout you, I'd be dead...we'd probably both be dead."

Abbey took the moment as they sat opposite each other, the compulsion to lean over and kiss him was overwhelming her senses. Instead she smiled "Maybe we're destined to live" She replied leaving the part she wanted to say 'together' she had never felt the feelings or the emotions she was feeling towards someone before. Lucky they was interrupted by the waiter.

Unsure of what to make of the feelings that flowed from her, Wintrow did the best thing he could and held back the seat for her, before sitting across from her at the table. He was grateful for the waiter's interruption. "What would you like to drink?" he asked Abbey, giving her first choice, "and starters?"

Abbey studied the menu before smiling. "I, would like a red wine with prawn cocktail!" She said without hesitation knowing exactly the course she was taking, despite being in a different universe the food was the same.

Peering at the menu, Wintrow looked up after a few seconds. "I'll have octopus and I'll have an iced tea please." Since he was under age, he wasn't allowed to ordere any alcoholic or syntheholic beverages, and as a starfleet officer, he was supposed to give the correct example, and obey the rules.

"Iced tea!" Abbey moaned, "what are you? Four!" She joked then realising her situation "Sorry! I have some learning experience, we spent most of our time intoxicated! Its just a way of life I guess!"

"No I'm nineteen, and I'm not allowed to drink." Wintrow shrugged. "Drinking age, to my knowledge, is twenty-one in Starfleet, even though back home I'm legal..."

"We're not technically with starfleet, in fact were on leave and hell im not even a part of starfleet at the moment so humour me, please?" She asked pleadingly.

"I can't...I'm sorrey Abbey, but I can't." Wintrow shook his head.

Abbey went to speak then paused, "I'm sorry" She replied recoiling from her comment "I'm so used to people being drunk, power hungry and drugged up I don't even know how to act sometimes! I must be a responsible starfleet officer"

"If you want to stay then yes. But you're uhm...of proper age so you could have a drink." He gave her an encouraging smile. "Besides....your shadow is watching you remember, so it's probably best to be on guard for now."

Abbey took an unconscious look over her shoulder though her 'shadow' couldnt be seen. "You're right, but you can't be much of the age?" She asked probing him for her own interest. She assumed the mirror universe was the same time and date which placed her at 22 years of age.

"I just told you, I'm nineteen though I'll be twenty in a few weeks." Wintrow sighed. "Are you even listening?"

Abbey thought for a moment as they sat "I... I'm sorry, everything is so no new tome and this" She said motioning between them "I don't think i've ever had someone I... care about?" She said in an almost questioning tone as if to test the words for the first time.

"That depends on your definition of care, I suppose..." Wintrow hesitated, and looked down at his own hands, which rested before him on the table. "You don't really know me Abbey, and I don't know what you're feeling really, but are you sure that it's care and not just gratitude?"

She looked at his hands and resisted the urge to put hers on top but remembered how he didn't like physical contact despite already coming so far. "Maybe you're right but Wintrow... No one has ever done what you have for me and... I'd like to get to know you, really get to know you and if my time is short here I want t make it worth while"

To be continued...

Cadet SO Wintrow Paragon
Support Craft Pilot
USS Galileo
[pnpc Tyrion]


Corporal Abbey Wyatt
Marine Specialist
ISS Galileo
pnpc Jake

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