Jesa opened her eyes and squinted as the light of the nearby star poured into the room. They had forgotten to opaque the windows last night, and it just so happened this side of the station witnessed sunrises based on the geosynchronous orbit above the planet which it orbited. Gently she sat up in the bed they were sharing on the Starbase and looked down at Buck, watching his chest rise and fall with calming regularity. Last night had been spent holding each other, no words were passed but thoughts and memories shared freely. It had been all done in an odd sense of calm that came with knowing the night could be the end for both of them.

But the morning had come, and they were still alive.

Slowly Jesa turned and looked out the window at the blue-robed planet below her. It wasn't inhabited, though it was capable of supporting life. She had always wondered why that was. But right now she just was aware of each of her breaths and every second that passed. Her eyes traveled back to Buck's sleeping form and a smile touched her lips.

They didn't have to hide anymore.

True that most of this reprieve was because of the way she had chosen to reveal her presence, and danger still existed. But for now she could walk freely where she chose. Not precisely free of fear, but less burdened by it. Jesa leaned down and kissed Buck's forehead softly, then slowly slipped out from between the covers and off of the bed. The light cascaded in through the twin windows flanking their bed and Jesa felt the warmth of the sun on her bare skin. It was nice to stand in the light again.

She passed a chair and picked up the robe that was laying over the back of it. Wrapping it around herself she sat down at the console and rerouted her messages from the Runabout's computer to here. They hadn't logged in this as their location. It still paid to be careful. There were actually quite a number of messages, some backlogged from years ago. Jesa wondered just how often the database cleared of undeliverable messages. There was a flurry of them less than twenty-four hours old. But it was the one at the top which caught her attention.

Placement Orders.

She scanned the top of the document, which outlined a retraction of AWOL charges based on the evidence presented and continued down through the mindless administrative drivel she had come to associate with the admiralty. Her eyes skipped down until she saw one line, "Captain Jesa Rachel Callen, you are hereby requested and required to take command of the USS Isannah."

She didn't even read a line after that and instead skipped to the bottom. There emblazoned in gold against the black background of the padd - Fleet Admiral Wolfe's signature. She couldn't control her outburst, "Ha, you snotty bastard. I bet it pains you to no end." The man had attempted to arrange her demise more than once and she took more than a significant amount of pleasure in the thought of what he was probably going through right now. Politics could be a cruel game indeed.

Buck darted up at the sound of her yell, pulling the phaser from under his pillow, his head darting around, trying to work out what was wrong. "Jesa? Are you okay?"

She turned half around in her chair and folded her arms across the back of chair and leaned her chin on them. "I'm fine, sorry I woke you," Jesa said with a smile.

Buck smiled, wearily. "Don't fret about it - I should probably have been getting up, anyway." His eyes fell to the terminal behind her. "Anything interesting in the mail?"

"Yes," Jesa responded, still smiling at him warmly. "The 'requested and required' letter regarding the Isannah; with Wolfe's signature at the bottom. I wonder how he is fairing." Jesa intoned, mock innocence in her voice.

Buck's face broke into a wan grin. He leapt out of bed, bare but for his boxers, and skipped over to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Congratulations, Captain..."

Jesa grinned as he scooped her up out of the chair and hugged him back. "I know it's not the end of trouble, but it is a step in the right direction. And well, we are still alive."

"Alive and kicking, Captain, Sir." Buck chuckled, kissing her cheek. "I don't suppose you've got use for a clapped-out old Naval Surgeon on this spangly new commission of yours, have you?" He winked.

Jesa chuckled, "Indeed," she said, gently rubbing his shoulders.

He smiled. "Well, even if you don't, I'm coming. Although somehow I don't think I was made for the Gentleman of Leisure life." He rested his chin on her shoulder. "We'll never be really safe, will we." It was a statement, not a question.

It was an ironic thought that occurred to Jesa, the one people repeated to make themselves feel better for those who died around them. But it seemed appropriate. "Well," she leaned back and gave him a slight half-smile, half-grimace, "We both knew there were risks in signing up." 'Just didn't think they'd be of this type,' Jesa finished to herself, silently.

Buck looked down into her eyes. His eyes were twinkling. They hadn't twinkled like that in a long, long time. "I know - and I wouldn't change it for the world... Dearest, dearest Jesa." He kissed her, gently.

She kissed him back tenderly, and leaned back to look at him, smiling softly. "I want to go see her, Buck," she said, there was a barely contained excitement in her voice, the sort that really only seemed appropriate in Ensigns looking forward to their first posting. But it was there nonetheless. "But there was something I didn't tell you last night, which I think I need to now."

Buck grinned, lopsidedly. "And what's that, my dear?"

Jesa normally didn't preface her statements, but she decided to this time. "Don't assume anything bad, but I saw your mother at the meeting yesterday. Then I went to speak with her later. I was still working out what she had said, which is why I didn't say anything last night."

Buck didn't speak, he just nodded.

"I went to her to find out why she was there." Jesa paused, wondering what was appropriate to say. Some part of her just didn't feel it was appropriate to relay to her son that she had been contemplating suicide because of failures she was just beginning to realize. "She asked me to tell you that she would see us on our next anniversary - she'd make sure her schedule permitted."

Buck lowered his eyes slightly, smiling into the middle-distance. "I see... That's... That's sweet of her. She's never been sweet in her life." He looked back to Jesa. "Thank you."

Jesa smiled, "I didn't really do anything, but I believe we successfully called a cease fire." She kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Well, then I'm grateful for that." He grinned. "So, you said you wanted to go and see your baby? I'll need to get dressed first."

"Well, me too," she indicated the robe she was wearing over nothing but skin.

"Yes, but you can cheat." He chuckled and walked back to their bed, pulling his trousers from a heap of clothes on the floor at his side.

Jesa started to follow his example then paused. Flashing a quick grin she moved over to the replicator instead and punched in her request, adding an access code required for what she wanted. A moment later a pair of black pants, grey undershirt, and black-and-red uniform tunic appeared, complete with boots, a small box containing four solid gold pips and a communicator. "I think I will wear these," she said, while depositing the bundle on the bed, then went searching for some undergarments.

Buck smiled. The gesture was not lost on him - she was the Captain, and she was going to make damned sure people knew it. He didn't feel quite... ready to put his pips back on just yet. He still hadn't received notification of AWOL charges being dropped. But let them try arresting him when he was with her. In fact, just to see the show, he almost hoped someone would... He pulled his labcoat over his rumpled shirt and trousers. "Ready when you are, m'dear."

Jesa carefully finished dressing, placing the pips in a neat row along her collar. She left the comm. badge deactivated, the last thing she wanted was someone tracking her right now. But it had already been pre-programmed with her identification and location beacon, and she didn't want to mess with it right now. Picking up a brush she pulled it through her long red hair, pulling it over one shoulder to do so. Then she swept it up off of her neck and started looking around for a pin. After a moment of searching, she 'cheated' and shimmered a bit of her hair for a moment, forming a barrette where there wasn't one a moment before.

Then she straightened, adjusting the fit of the tunic slightly. She had it fit to her previous specifications, and predictably, she hadn't changed an inch. Jesa smiled over at Buck and gave a quick turn in place to 'show off' her uniform. She couldn't help but make light of the moment by asking; "Do these pants make my butt look fat?"

Buck chuckled - "Not at all - black's a vast improvement in that regard." He stuck his tongue out, playfully.

Jesa grinned, "Any other woman would have skewered you for a comment like that." Crossing the room to him, she grabbed both edges of his labcoat and pulled him down to her, kissing him. Then she leaned back and grinned. "C'mon then."

"Wherever my lady leads," he grinned, "I shall follow. Let's give 'em hell."