EXETERRPG: (18, 17:30) ACFO, Ensign SG Ronnie Winters and CMO, Ensign SG Gabe Vesper

[Will Banowsky]

Mission: The flames of purity
Day: 18
Stardate: 2445.09.18

(USS Exeter - Ronnie Winters Personnel Quarters -ACFO, Ensign SG Ronnie
Winters and CMO, Ensign SG Gabe Vesper - 17:30)


“Thanks for joining me, Gabe,” Ronnie said with a smile as she a glass of
water in front of him.

Gabe was happy to be back in Ronnie's quarters, whilst it was an odd
experience she was eager to speak to her. The last few days had been a
rollercoaster and he felt relaxed around Ronnie, although the formalness of
her attitude was causing some doubt.

"It's always a pleasure Ronnie" Gabe said sipping the water and having a
real smile on his face, he truly enjoyed her company.

“I know you’ve been swamped, so I appreciate you taking the time, for ummm,
me. This won't take long.”

The smile faded things had just taken a very formal turn. Placing the water
down Gabe turned his doctor mode on.

"Take all the time you need Ronnie, it's been a very trying time." Gabe
instinctively opened his body language up "what's on your mind Ensign? Do
you want me to call you Ensign or would you prefer Ronnie?"

~shouldnt have kissed her, it always happens to the ones I kiss. Get ready
for it Gabe, first she will tell you how nice it's been, then how great you
are, then that she feels things have moved too quick and finally that she
feels she needs time to focus on herself and what she wants. Breath through
it, there is a bottle of Romulan ale at home and a few days shore leave~
Gabe readied himself.

“Look, Gabe, you’re a sweet and great guy, and I just don’t think I’ve been
fair to you lately.”

~here we go, you've led me on and it's not right. You're not being true to
yourself and it's not fair on me. Just say it~ Gabe controlled his
breathing but knew his face was showing some pain.

“And, well I had a chat with your sister earlier, and I shared with her
some concerns I had, and well she told me I needed to tell you this,
because you were going to find out sooner rather than later.”

~oh great, you spoke to my sister, wonderful. Why not tell the whole ship
I'm a bad kisser~ Gabe shifted in his seat, his bluntness starting to
surface "so..?"

“So...how do I start, I’m sorry this is really hard.”

Ronnie began to well up with emotion, tears started forming.

~waterworks, the whole package~

“Umm, my name isn’t Veronica Kady Winters, it’s Veronica Kadaya Williams.
I’m from an alternate future timeline, I will never be born in this one,
and Ash and Trip are my parents.”

"Look it's probably easier if I just go and give…..I'm sorry what?" Gabes
mind had run away with itself it had taken a few moments to process what
had really been said.

~you kissed the Captains daughter~ "I kissed the Captains daughter….you're
Trips daughter?" Gabes mouth went dry. He grabbed the glass.

“Yes. I am.”

"Hang on, Trip, as in Commander Williams? As in the man I came to you about
to talk through his surgery, as in you're my sister's cousin…" ~time
traveling Gabe~ "you're my half sisters time traveling cousin from an
alternate reality…?"

Gabe sat in silence trying to get it in his head.

“It’s how I knew to place you on the right track. I have a more advanced
version of the implant.”

"Of course you do, from a different time and reality" Gabe started looking
around the room.

“But because your sister is my personal physician, and she knows, we’ve
been able to hide things, like that, and my genetics.”

"Yep this makes total sense." Gabe stood "look, just tell me you don't like
me and be done with it. You don't need some elaborate story, this is the
most advanced way to end a something. With everything that's happened the
last few days this is how you tell me you don't want to move things
forward. Do you honestly expect me to believe it?"

“You really are a $%$#*&^ ass Gabriel Vesper. Here I am trying to be
completely %$#@^%$ honest with you, and you are just brushing it off as a
cruel $%^$#@ joke.” Some would say that Ronnie could curse like a sailor
when she was upset. Those people had never met her father and had no idea,
that if there was in fact a genetic proclivity for cursing, Ronnie had it.

Gabe instantly realised he had made a mistake, he had gone down the wrong
path. Ronnie wasn't trying to break things off she was being honest and
open and frank. ~you're an idiot~

“You think I’m joking, fine, replicate whatever you need, and test my
genetics, right here and now, arrogant stupid ass.” She began crying. She
was trying to be honest with him, and she was upset because all he could
think about was that she had to be making this up to hurt him.

Gabe took a deep breath and looked at the woman he had started to fall in
love with sat there crying her eyes out. Part of him wanted to pull a
tricorder and check for the chip, the other side, the part under the hard
shell he used to protect himself wanted to wrap his arms around her and
apologize. Normally the scientist won, but recently Gabe had come to
understand that life was too precious to waste and these moments didn't
come too often for him.

Sitting next to Ronnie he placed a warm hand on her leg, ready for it to be
broken but hoping it wasn't.

"The crew have a opinion of me, that I'm selfish, argumentative, process
driven and a bit of an arsehole."

“Well, they do call you Dr. ‘Gabe See you Next Tuesday’ Vesper.” she said
grumpily. She could see why they did.

"Let me finish Ronnie, before the other day I would have agreed. But
watching my sister almost die and sleeping in my office to make sure I was
there incase she needed me has made me realise that life is so much more
than data on a PADD. People are more than blood and veins, they're
precious. I'm sorry; it's been a very stressful time and a camp bed with a
broken rib doesn't allow for much sleep." Gabe wiped the tears from her
face

"You've trusted me with your story and I've selfishly thrown it back at
you. Please, Veronica Williams, tell me what I need to know." Gabe hoped it
was enough, Ronnie had become a port in a storm for him and he wanted to
make sure he could dock for a while longer.

“That’s it, I just, you would have found out eventually, and I wanted you
to hear it from me. But you can’t tell a $@#^%$ soul. Okay, not a damn one.
This is a secret. But if things….are….going to progress you need to know
who I am.”

"And are they, or has my temper ruined it?"

“I was afraid of getting into a relationship, because I thought, okay, at a
certain point, I’ll do what I need to do, change things, and then the
future will change, and the events that led me to coming back will never
have happened, and poof, I’ll fade out of existence. So I was hesitant to
start anything, with anyone, and the one day just vanish, and like oh shit,
where the %$#@# is Ronnie.”

~Okay, I know you’re emotional girl, but let’s reign in the language.~ She
thought to herself.

Gabe took Ronnies hand.

“Thing is, something has changed. And either I don’t really understand time
travel, or I didn’t just cross time, I crossed into an alternate timeline,
an alternate reality, my very being here, caused a branch. See, the future
I thought I’d be changing, is actually my past, so it’s set in stone, and
this here present, is actually my future, and it’s all a bunch of
theoretical weirdness. Because my mom is pregnant, with a child, that isn’t
me. In a time frame that means she won’t get pregnant with me. That the
exact circumstances, time, right sperm, right egg, that would be me, its
not gonna line up. I’m never going to be born in this reality. But I didn’t
poof out of existence. I’m still here….which means….”

Gabe looked at her, trying to take it all in. "Life is a choice and is full
of choices and forks in the road…" Gabe stopped himself he held Ronnie's
hand tighter "time traveling is a paradox that…." He stopped again

Leaning in he looked at Ronnie's face, the contours, her pupils, made a
point of following her breaths

"You look real enough"

"“You really should let a girl finish Gabe. I’m not worried about the
paradox anymore. It means I’m free to be, to live, not worry about…. Well”
At that moment she turned to him, wrapped her arms around him, placing one
behind his head and kissed him.

After embracing Ronnie Gabe pulled back a bit "I just kissed the Captains
daughter" he laughed and embraced her again.

The pair kissed once more and then Ronnie looked at him.

“Hey listen, I’d love for you to stay longer, but, umm...Ailynn invited my
parents over for dinner, and well, we’re going to tell them the truth. So,
I umm, I need to go game plan that. But maybe, if you’re free later, we
could go on a proper date.”

"You mean the coffee shop wasn't a proper date? I have dinner with Lt
Ravok. Shall we do supper?"

“Not tonight. If it goes well, it will be the first night since I was two
that I had a proper evening with my parents, as my parents. If it goes
poorly, well I’ll be with my cousin drinking away my sorrows, and I’m not
sure I want you to see me drunk yet.”

"I understand, although Ailynn needs to take it easy. I want to see her in
my office first thing, I'll let you break that news" Gabe smiled

“And I got to warn you Gabe, I want to take things slow. If you don’t
respect that, never forget, these four bone chilling words. I AM A BRACKEN.”

"They don't scare me, you Brackens are overrated. I'm an arsehole remember,
I can deal with you" Gabe winked, internally wondering about the ethics of
the whole situation, but for the first time in a long time he was happy.

(Reply none)
(posted by Will and Mat H.)
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