Chapter Text
It wasn't supposed to be like this. I didn't want this. I just missed Mark so much. But he is mad at me for saving him. I don't know how to feel. I was looking at the ground but I decided to look at Mark. "I don't know if you're evil or just stupid." He scoffed at me. I really wish that this wasn't happening but it is. I laugh slightly to myself.
"I am truly sorry Mark. I didn't mean for all of this to happen. I just... I just..." I pause. I just what? It has been so long that I don't remember.. Mark was looking at me to see what I was going to say but I didn't finish my sentence. I don't know anymore. I laughed again. I can't remember. I can't even remember my name.
"Captain? You are not making any sense." Mark gets me out of my thoughts. He sounded like he was concerned for me but that didn't stay concerned for me. "Captain if i'm not back there to fix it.. If I'm not back there..." He freezes a bit as it looks like he was realizing something. I didn't understand what was going on. He looks at the deactivated warp core. He slowly walks to the control panel as he continues to talk kinda slow.
"If I'm not back then. the warp core is not back." He looks at me then the control panel then me again. "I thought... I thought... I thought I rebuilt it because you destroyed it." Mark looked lost. I was confused but then it hit me. I didn't do that. I didn't do this. Any of this. "Mark?" I simply say. He was looking down but he looked up at me.
"Unless..." He starts. He looked like he was going to cry. I take a deep breath as I walk a bit closer to Mark. "I build the warp core? I sent it back?" He questioned. I sigh as I nod slowly for Mark. He starts to walk toward me now. He was slightly laughing. "I built it.I built it. It was my fault." He got up to me and it definitely looked like he was going to cry.
"He takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Captain. I thought it was you. And I'm... Captain, I'm tired." He says as he sits down. I follow him. I am tired as well. So tired but I am a captain. And any captain's crew comes before them. Mark continues to talk. "I don't know when the last time I slept was. I don't know if I've slept at all." He says as I place a hand on his shoulder. I felt so bad for him.
He looks at me. "Have you? Have you slept at all?" He asks me. I was kinda surprised that he asked me that. I took a deep breath before I said anything. "No, I haven't. I couldn't. I didn't know if you were okay or not. I have missed you." I say with another deep breath. It was Mark's turn to be surprised now. "You missed me? Even after I thought all of this was your fault? Even after I thought the only way to stop this was to stop you?" He asks.
All I do is nod. He looks at the deactivated warp core then me. "Why? Just why?" He wanted answers. I know. And I am not going to lie to him or myself. "It is because I love you, Mark. I can't lose you." I didn't know any other way to say it. He was shocked at what I had said. I am not surprised. I would be the same. I chuckle a bit.
"Do you actually mean that? Do you actually love me? Even after everything I did?" He asks me as he looks in front of him. He looks back at me with a look that I couldn't explain. I nod. Like I said I am not going to lie to him or myself. He looks in front of him again. He really didn't know what to think. The person he thought was responsible for everything and the person he had a crush on loves him.
He chuckles a bit. "I have had a crush on you for so long. And I never thought that you would like me back. But I guess I was wrong." He says as he looks back at me. I laugh a bit with him. "Well I do." I say, still laughing a bit. He joins me for a bit. The room started to shake. "I want to do something before we die." Mark says as he gets closer to me. I was going to ask what it is but before I know it, Mark pulls me into a kiss. I was surprised for only a little. I smile as I kiss back, closing my eyes as the room starts to shake even more.
The next thing I knew I was back in my cryo-pod. A voice saying that sentence I know so well. "Software update complete. Initializing Wakey-Wakey Protocol." I sigh a bit as it continues. "Current ship status is norminal." I look around my pod before it opens. I get out to see a crew member. I poke them to see if they are real. The PA was going off for a bit. What got my attention was a voice I know too well.
"Morning, Captain." Mark says as he hands me a cup of coffee. "Ooh, you look like you've been through hell." He jokes. I let out a breathy chuckle. "I feel like I have too." I say back earning a chuckle back from Mark. "Yeah, well Cryo-cleep sucks, but coffee helps." He says then goes to do his job. I see Gunther, I smile at seeing him. "Morning, Cap." He says while throwing me a small smile.
"Morning, Gunther." I say back while raising my coffee towards him. "I'll be heading down with the advance team. If there's any horrible aliens down there, I'll take care of them." He says with a thumbs up. Right as I was going to say something CC.
"Not everything can be solved with explosions." She says and I point at her to basically say I agree with her. Gunther looks at me slightly hurt but then looks at CC. "Eh, not in my experience. I'll see you on the ground, Cap." He says to me before leaving. CC groans as she stands in front of me. "Him and Mark are one in the same. I swear." She says as she shakes her head.
"They can be." I say with a shrug. She does the same. "All of the colonists are safe, healthy, and accounted for, but I'll keep my eye on them as they wake up." She starts to turn away before she turns back. "Thank you for getting us here safe." She says then leaves. I walk forward a bit before Burt starts to talk.
"Captain, you are a child of the universe." He starts before he is in front of me. "No less than a tree or a star. You deserve to be here. And whether or not it's clear to you, no doubt the universe is playing out as it should." For some reason that hit a lot deeper than it should have. Burt soon walks towards the main reactor. He waves me off.
I hear Mark tell the computer to open the blast shields. I turn to see a beautiful planet. I block out everything as I walk closer to the planet. I think Mark was talking but I didn't hear anything. All I get is "She is a beauty, Isn't she, Captain?" When he said this I looked over at him. He continues to talk. "The long range scans did not do her justice. Perfect in almost every way. We'll still have to do top to bottom scans once we're down on the surface, but we're moving equipment as fast as we can." He had a big smile on his face. I was still in awe.
"The crew is eager to get off the ship and onto solid ground. I think you can understand the sentiment." He looks from the planet to me. I nod a bit. "I do. I would want to get down there just as badly. She looks pretty." I look back at the planet. Then Mark starts to talk again. Which slowly gets me attention back on Mark. "And, uh, thank you..."
I was a bit confused at what he meant. "...for, uh, not giving up on me. Just thank you." He says. I smile as I walk up to him and pull him into a kiss. Which he happily returned. "What was that for? not that I am complaining or anything." He says with a chuckle.
I roll my eyes a bit. "In a way that is your 'you're welcome'. And I wanted to kiss you again." I say as look back at the planet that was going to be our home. I was finally happy. I was with my crew and mainly I was with Mark. My Mark. And I am never am going to lose him again.