Walk the Line

Posted on Mon Aug 14th, 2023 @ 11:24pm by Lieutenant Commander Andrew "Drew" Chandler & Lieutenant JG Jenny Goldstein
Edited on on Wed Aug 16th, 2023 @ 10:43am

1,036 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: https://www.uss-deliverance.starfleetuk.org/index.php/sim/missions/id/1
Location: DS9
Timeline: During the Girls' Night Out

By the time Jen had gotten her less-than-diminutive backside down those stairs and caught up with the tall handsome Lieutenant Commander he had given his message to Quark and was out the door, Jen flew past the startled Ferengi with a cry of "I'm not doing a runner, I just gotta talk to that guy!"

She caught up with him outside.

"Oh, Commander! Commander Chandler!" she puffed a little. Boy, did she need to get back into condition. Ah, who was she kidding?, she'd never really been 'in condition'! "I'm sorry if [pant] any of my friends back there [pant] upset or offended you..." she looked up with those big round brown eyes, set in that big round pink face. Boy he was tall!

"... or if I said anything wrong?" she added, leadingly.

Drew turned to Jenny, a somber expression on his face. He glanced over her shoulder at the entrance to Quark's for a moment before returning his gaze to the young woman. He slowly shook his head. "Nobody said anything wrong. It is just...." He paused for a moment as if struggling whether to reveal his reasons for the abrupt departure. "My wife was killed in the Breen attack on Earth during the Dominion War."

"Oh my God... I am so sorry!" gasped Jenny. God, that sounded so trite and formulaic, but what else could you say in such a situation? "...And there's Noxi asking if she's going to join us in Quark's?" she said, pulling a pained expression. Part of her wanted to run from this slightly awkward conversation, but more of her wanted to stay in the company of this sad, widowed man, who was clearly still deeply in love with his late wife (boy, could she pick 'em!).

She didn't know if this was the 'right' thing to say, but out it came.

"Like I say, I'm sorry, I... you must have loved her so very much..." she remembered the look on his face when Noxi had asked is she was coming "... and still do, of course. Jeez, I'm lucky I never lost anybody that... that precious to me. Anyhow, I'd better let you, er, get along." she turned to go and then added "... and I'm sorry if I... kinda... hit on you back in the bar."

Drew thought to himself how Jenny's talkative nature reminded him of how Kelly used to be. His late wife had been quite the chatterbox at the Academy. Truth be told, it was one of the qualities he had found most endearing. He reached out on impulse and touched Jenny's shoulder for a moment. "Wait...please."

"Oh, golly!" she couldn't help exclaiming, and turned unsteadily. Oh God, what if he tried to kiss her?! What had her mother's advice been again? She couldn't remember. Something like 'keep your legs crossed and think what would Rabbi Schmerwitz do?''!

He released her shoulder almost as quickly. He looked at her. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"No!" she said by reflex. Well she hadn't, apart form that family sized pizza she'd snaffled before going out, but that was just ballast for a heavy drinking session.

Heck this was just like a dream come true, but she opened her mouth and heard herself saying "Commander... I... look that's real nice but, I invited the girls out and... I gotta... y'know? I gotta... I can't just desert them y'know?, I mean, what would your sister think? 'What a floozy' is what she'd think! I mean sisters are very protective, you know? I mean... I'm very flattered... oh boy, you don't know how flattered! But I can't... tonight. I... oh gee, I mean, you are asking me to dinner right? You don't just go around asking everybody if they've had their dinner, like 'Hi Admiral Kranksky, had your dinner yet?'" she stopped and actually took a breath.

"Guess I'm making kinda a schmutz of myself here, right?" she asked him with shrug and a laugh at herself.

Drew just smiled as he shook his head. "You're fine Lieutenant and after duty watch, its Andrew or Drew my close friends and family call me. I do hope you would be willing to give me a rain check on that dinner though."

"Yes, of course!!" she said with alacrity. Even though she'd given herself a breathing space, she still had qualms: her mother's words reverberated in her head: Jennifer, never, EVER, go with a married man, and try and avoid widowers: I mean, honey, you're a nice girl, and one day you'll lose all that puppy fat, God we pray, but you aren't your sister, and a girl like you could never live up to the idealised memory of a feller's dead wife, believe me.

On the other side of the scales there was the undeniable attraction of the handsome bearded officer.

Drew gave a nod. "Contact me when you have some free time." He gestured towards Quark's. "Have fun with your friends."

She gave a vague half wave. "Sure, I'd like that. Contacting you, I mean, not having fun with my friends. Well, obviously I'd like to have fun with my friends. And your sister. Er, but, yeah, I'll, er, contact you." she finally got out. She turned and tried to walk casually back towards Quarks with all the awkwardness of someone trying not to look awkward. She turned an gave a flashing smile and a little wave but fell over her feet and just about righted herself before re-entering the bar.

Drew watched Jenny as she headed back to the bar. He turned and started towards the nearest turbolift to take him back to the habitat ring. He planned on a having a quiet evening what with Rachel out and Ashley spending the night at a friend's. It dawned on him that he had asked a woman out for dinner. He had not done anything like that in years. At least not since his last date night with his late wife back on Earth before deployment out to Starbase 375 during the Dominion War. He sighed as he wondered what had come over him to do such a thing.

END SCENE

 

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