[communications] [mess hall - dinner with Len]

[rn_chapel]

Even after adding in a leisurely walk the long way through the corridors to the mess, Tina was early for her dinner appointment with Len. She grabbed something to drink - nothing alcoholic, and no coffee, either, damnit, but at least she'd always liked fruit juices - and found a quiet table. She fiddled with a PADD while she settled in to wait.

Comments

[len_not_spock]

Leonard was right on time as he entered the mess, spotting Tina already sat at a table in a quiet corner. He smiled warmly at her as he approached, sliding into the seat opposite her.

"Hey. Your day go okay?"

[rn_chapel]

"Hi. Yes, it was fine. How was yours?" Tina tried not to smile mischievously, and failed. "Should I ask whether you were able to not use the dermal regenerator without any trouble?"

[len_not_spock]

Leonard laughed. "You probably shouldn't, although it went not perfectly, thank you. Don't tell the mysterious unnamed person I told you so, though, or I'll be facing days worth of sulking looks." He rested his arms on the table. "And my day was fine, I managed to successfully track down McCoy after all. You hungry?"

[rn_chapel]

Tina nodded. "I was waiting for you, but I could definitely stand to eat. Were you in the mood for anything in particular? All I can focus on is 'meat.' I probably need protein."

[len_not_spock]

Leonard shook his head. "I'm fine with whatever, really, although meat does sound good." He tilted his head in thought. "I don't suppose a mess this big would have steak on the menu?"

[rn_chapel]

Tina's grin was a little rueful. "Well, we have something like steak. It's close enough, if you don't think about the texture too much. Or the color. The flavor is okay to contemplate, thank God. I'll go grab us a couple plates, okay? Want anything to drink?"

[len_not_spock]

"Well, I'm always up for an experiment. And orange juice would be lovely, if they have any."

[rn_chapel]

Tina nodded, and went to get them some dinner, returning a few minutes later with a tray laden with almost-steak, roasted vegetables and two glasses of orange juice.

"I've never tried orange juice with dinner before," Tina said, "but it sounded good. I usually drink coffee with everything, or wine, if I'm feeling fancy, but those are both off the menu for the next nine months or so."

[len_not_spock]

A nod. "Thank you. Wine used to be my staple for dinner, until I became dry. Stopped missing it a while ago, although you have my sympathies on the coffee front. Withdrawal headaches kicking in yet?"

[rn_chapel]

"Oh yes. I think I had one about five minutes after I decided I'd better cut off caffeine, but that was probably psychosomatic." Tina started carving up her dinner. "I've definitely been feeling more tired, though that's probably not due to decaffeination alone."

[len_not_spock]

"Probably not, no." Leonard considered her for a moment as he took a bite of his not-quite steak, which actually tasted alright. "This must all have come as a bit of a shock to you."

[rn_chapel]

"Mm, yeah. I thought I had four years to go on my contraceptive implant. Finding out that it wasn't there anymore and that it was maybe a little late to get a new one was... Well, yes, a bit of a shock."

[len_not_spock]

"And now?"

Tina, he thought, was actually quite difficult to read. Kept things unusually close to her chest for someone so young.

"Listen," he added, before she'd had time to respond, "we don't have to talk about this at all, if you'd rather not. I know we haven't known each other all that long, so I'm finding it a little hard to tell whether you don't mind my asking what amounts to quite personal questions or whether it's coming across all Spanish Inquisition." A small smile. "Which is absolutely not my intention."

[rn_chapel]

"No, it's fine," Tina said. "I chose to tell you. It's good to have someone else to talk about it with. And... I'm hoping that you'll be able to talk to Jim, too. I think he's actually much more isolated on this one than I am."

She ate a few bites of her dinner, chewing thoughtfully. "I'm pretty okay with personal questions, generally," she added. "And in this case, I've sort of invited them, you know? So don't worry about that. And, yes, it's still a little hard to get a handle on, but it's feeling more real. I think I'm getting used to the idea."

[len_not_spock]

Leonard nodded. "Yes, I thought the same, especially with Spock gone for the time being. I sent him a message earlier, actually, and I'm pretty confident he'll take me up on my offer, so don't worry too much about him."

It spoke to her character that she'd even considered Jim, under the circumstances. It would have been easy enough to forget.

"I can relate, to some extent. To how much it throws your life out of balance, at least. My first child was very much unplanned, actually. I mean, we were married and there wasn't even the matter of choice back in the day," which was obviously huge, "but I wasn't really in a position financially to support a child at the time, so the responsibility was... a terrifying prospect."

[rn_chapel]

"Dr. McCoy told me that his daughter wasn't planned, either. I know I was, but I'm starting to think maybe that's unusual," Tina said, smiling with mild humor. "I don't have any concerns about being able to support the baby in a material sense, but... I hope I'm more ready to be a parent than I feel. And I do wish that I wasn't as alone as I am. Jim is willing to be involved, but he's not my partner. And he doesn't even belong here."