Dinner for Two

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 3:47am by Lieutenant Nicholas Boucher & Lieutenant Alexandra Alves MD
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 6:01pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Deck 3 - Doctor Alves' Quarters
Timeline: Before landing on Hesiod Blue or Green

It's been a few weeks since Alexandra bumped into Nick at the ship's lounge, and discussed the idea of a formal date - after all the 'informal' stuff going on lately between the two. The Breen attack and all the shenanigans prevented them from bringing the idea to life, however, as things slowed down and went back into their usual rhythm, it was time to fulfill that promise.

Alexandra sent a small card to Lieutenant Boucher's quarters, inviting him for dinner at her quarters, at the specified date and time. The invitation promised some special treats, like home-made authentic Brazilian food, quality wine, and of course, good company. She asked Aeryn to babysit for Veronica, and made special preparations for the big night. She made eggplant soup, Moqueca Baiana, alias Brazilian fish stew, and Bolo de rolo, aka rollcake for dessert, all according to the old recipes she learned from her mother. She also prepared some old bottles of Bordeaux red wine to accompany the dinner. She put on an elegant, beige dress, pretty makeup and her favourite earrings. She lit some candles on the table, and asked the computer to lower the light levels, and to play some pleasant music for the mood.

"Come in." she replied gently when she heard the door buzzer ringing, waiting for Nick in pleasant excitement.

The door opened before Nick and he walked inside Alexandra's quarters. This was his first time here, their previous trysts had taken place in his quarters. He imagined, having a child and a permanent spot on the ship, her rooms would be a fair bit more homey than his own.

Nick hadn't brought very many personal effects, clothing included, on this mission, so he wore more or less what he had been wearing the night they had met on Paradise Station: a light, faded black leather jacket, white shirt with the top two buttons undone, black pants, black ankle-height boots.

He smiled as he saw Alex. "You look amazing. Hi."

"Hello. Thank you!" she smiled gently, with a visible blush on her face. "Come in! I tried to recreate a small snippet of Rio de Janeiro out here. Hope you'll enjoy this little culinary journey."

Nick could smell the food Alexandra had prepared and although the scents were unfamiliar, they smelled phenomenal.

"Dinner smells great," he said. "I hope you didn't go to too much trouble over me."

"Thank you!" the doctor smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry. It was a pleasure. I actually enjoy cooking quite much. It relaxes me, and diverts my thoughts when I need it."

Nick nodded. "I get that. I feel the same way when I'm tinkering with an engine, or my fighter. My mother used to say that idle hands were the devil's playthings, so it was a habit I learned early on."

"I definately agree with your mother." Alex said with a suggestive smile, and stepped to the table, to pick up a bottle of wine and some glasses, filling them with the dark red liquid. "Château Margaux, 2367. They say it was a good year." she handed a glass to Nick. "I've been keeping these bottles since the Benecia."

Nick couldn't help but let out a loud second-long laugh at Alex's smile, before he caught himself. "Please try not to look at me like that and mention my mother in the same sentence. It gives me very conflicting feelings."

He grabbed a glass from her, and swirled the wine around in it, giving it a good smell. It was a good vintage. He offered up his glass for a toast.

"To new friendships."

"Okay. I promise, I won't." the doctor laughed. She raised her glass for the toast. "To friendships."

Nick sipped at the wine and smiled. "You have good taste. Should we sit down?"

"Ah, of course. Of course." Alex bubbled and pointed to the table which she set up for the two of them. How can I be so reckless to not even invite him to sit down, she wondered, a bit angry at herself. "Our first culinary item is a traditional Brazilian eggplant soup." she said with an inviting smile. "Right from the old Alves family recipe book."

"That sounds delicious," Nick said, sitting down. "I'm ready to dig in when you are. Once we get settled, I have some news to share too."

"Thank you!" she smiled at the compliment (which was also complimenting a large lineage of the Alves family), as she placed the large bowl of hot soup on the table, along with a ladle, and sat down to face Nick. "Please." she gestured. "News?" she looked at him with curious eyes. "I'm all ears."

Nick poured a bowl of soup for each of them, serving Alexandra first. Steam rose from his bowl, and he cautiously tasted a bit of it on his spoon. As he finished the bite, he nodded.

"Wow," he stated. "Delicious."

"Thank you. Obrigado." she smiled, feeling happy that Nick appreciates her cooking, but also anxious because of the surprise news.

After another bite, he set his spoon down and looked at Alexandra. "I... I don't know what this is, I suppose. I wasn't sure if the temporary nature of my assignment here was a guiding force behind us spending time together."

He shrugged. "That temporary nature has changed. I met with the Captain earlier today, and Alpha squadron is being offered a permanent transfer to the Pandora."

Alexandra expected something bad, like Nick being transferred elsewhere, so her pleasant surprise was truly genuine when it turned out, he'll be a permanent presence on board.

"I'm truly happy to hear that." she grinned. "Well... guiding force or not, this means we'll be able to spend more time together in the future." she said. "If that doesn't interfere with the busy schedule of the squadron," she added playfully.

Nick laughed. "I'm sure I can fit you into my 'busy' schedule, mademoiselle."

"I haven't yet had a chance to make many friends on board, and I value the time we spend together," he added in between bites of the soup. "So I was hoping you'd be happy with this news."

"I am, monsieur." Alex nodded gently, while eating the soup. "Now that you're a permanent member of our little family, we might plan on seeing each other regularly." she suggested. "I've heard about some fun holoprograms recently."

Nick smiled. "I certainly wouldn't be opposed to seeing each other more regularly."

He took a few more bites and finished his soup. "But I feel like I can trust you enough, so it's only fair to be bluntly forward, since you're in the same boat I am in many ways, and to avoid any... Misleading situations: I've been married. I'm not exactly looking for anything to progress seriously at present time."

"We both have kids, so I'm sure you can appreciate that caution," he continued.

Alexandra stopped for a moment when Nick said he's not looking for anything to progress seriously. She quickly resumed spooning up the soup, to mask her sudden surprise break. "Yes. I've been married too... a long time ago." she said slowly, with an obvious intonation in her voice. "Right. I completely understand the caution." she added with a grin. At least, he's honest and frank with me. One can appreciate that, she thought. Seriously, what's wrong with me? "By the way, how's your kids? You never mention them." she quickly changed subject with an awkward smile.

"That's not on purpose," Nick replied. "I just tend to be a bit of a private person. Stephane, my oldest, is still in high school. He's trying to figure himself out, like most kids his age. He's thinking about joining Starfleet, so he clearly is trying to give me a
premature heart condition from the stress. The two youngest, Michel and Emilie are still too young for that, blessedly.

"Has Veronica settled in?"

"Just how I gave my parents a heart attack when I decided to join Starfleet." Alex nodded. "But don't worry about it. If he knows the path he want to choose, let him choose it." she suggested. She felt disappointed, but tried to hide it, and enjoy the evening neverthless. "Veronica?" she looked up when Nick mentioned her daughter. "I'm quite surprised on it, but she actually starts to settle in well." she said. "And guess what? She took a liking to Mr. Mindo."

Nick smiled. "I haven't had the chance to truly talk to our Chief Engineer, but he does seem to be a friendly fellow. Glad to hear Veronica is making friends. Maybe she'll disciver an aptitude for engineering by being around Mindo?"

"Well, I don't think Mr. Mindo interests her because of his engineering skills." the doctor mused. "It's more like his offbeat personality which kinda fascnates my daughter."

"From what I've heard, he is a little eccentric," Nick replied. "Glad to hear she's finally adjusting. How about you? You haven't exactly been aboard very long either."

"Quite nicely. In fact, I already feel at home on the Pandora. And I'm also getting quite confident as a department head." she said. "Well, I hoped I might find something... truly meaningful here as well..." she then added, with a quite obvious meaning. "But it seems that'll have to wait." she then quickly diverted the topic, before Nick could reply. "Let's get to the delicious main dish. Moqueca Baiana. The best thing that can happen to a fish."

Nick recognized Alexandra's changing of the subject and didn't press her. The truth was that he really did like her. That was also the problem though, he was the type to fall for people quickly, but then fall out with someone equally as quickly. Being in such close proximity as they were on a starship, that was a big reason he wasn't diving in headfirst.

"We'll just have to out that dish to the test then," he replied, with a grin. "I'm from the north of France. Not as many fish dishes there, so I may not be the best judge here, but I'll give it a go."

"Remember, if you don't like it, you not only insult me, but you insult a long branch of the Alves family tree." she joked, as she picked up the fish stew to carry it to the table, along with a set of clean plates. "Just joking of course!" she grinned. "Please, help me with those." she asked, looking at the soup dishes. "Just put them on the othet table right there."

Nick grabbed the bowls and placed them aside before sitting back down. He looked over the newest dish and nodded in appreciation.

"I was a Marine," he stated. "Trust me when I say that any home cooked food is better than battle rations, so I wouldn't worry about me not enjoying it."

"A doctor should be concerned about crew nutrition issues." Alex smiled. "Now, I'm only concerned about yours." she joked, as she served the delicious-looking fish stew to Nick, and then to herself. "Next time we can try something from the north of France. If there is a next time... Next time as friends, of course."

Nick accepted the dish and gave Alex a mischievous wink and grin. "Yes. As friends."

"Alright." she grinned back. Her disappointment started to mellow, as she realized Nick is still an awesome person, and felt more than happy to know him at her side as a friend. Besides, maybe she wasn't really ready for a commitment herself. It's been so long since she tried anything like that, she didn't even know how to start such an endevour. "So... Bon apetit."

"My thanks again, mademoiselle," Nick replied smiling, digging into the next course.