Chapter Text
Changing duty stations was never fun. Packing. Moving. Losing friends you’d barely made in one place to end up someplace else all alone and having to start from scratch. Again. After thirteen years of it, Jane figured she ought to be used to it by now.
The hustle and hubbub aboard the SSV Einstein proved otherwise.
“Mom …?”
A hand at her shoulder squeezed reassuringly. “Go ahead, Jane,” Sarah McIntyre told her. “You know the layout of the ship and you have the passcode to get into our quarters. It’s as simple as that.”
“Lieutenant Commander McIntyre?” The intrusion by the unknown lieutenant gave Jane cause to glare, but the man ignored her.
“Lead the way, Lieutenant,” Sarah informed him.
Jane stood still a moment longer, until her mother glanced back around and gave her the universal sign every mother used to usher their child along. Sighing, Jane turned and tried to regain her bearings.
Normally, she was good with navigation. Her father had taught her to read a map like nobody’s business from a very young age, even staging games where she had to start at one point and find him at another just to make certain she could do it. Piece of cake.
Except that the Einstein, even though a very similar layout to the previous ship on which Sarah had served, had certain areas closed off at the moment. Which led to detours. Which also led to misguided locations because Jane hadn’t bothered to download a copy of the ship’s layout to her omni-tool because it should have been so easy.
Sighing as she ended up on the wrong deck yet again, Jane sought out someone for guidance. After a five minute -- and frequently interrupted -- discussion, she managed to backtrack to the appropriate stairwell and get to the right level. At least, she thought so.
“Right then second left,” Jane muttered to herself as she hugged the wall of the corridor. She found the turn and started down …
“Hey, watch out!”
Startled by the sudden shout, Jane darted a quick look around. Ahead, over her shoulder, back down the main hall …
The blur came from the shadowed far end of the side hall and Jane didn’t see it until she was knocked backwards and falling. Arms shooting out, she mentally prepared for the inevitable bone jarring collision with the wall. Only, it never came.
“Ooof!”
Opening her eyes, Jane came face to face a pair of the most shocking and stunning blue she’d ever seen.
“Are you okay?”
Finding her voice was a challenge just then, so she nodded instead. The owner of the eyes, grinned up at her. “Good. Next time, though, you might want to look first?”
It was said offhandedly, a mild suggestion as opposed to something more curt and chastising, but it hit her wrong in that moment. “Me? The hall was empty!”
Chuckling, he helped her to her feet. Jane brushed her clothing off first then reached for her bag. It had fallen nearby, but at least was out of the way of the other people walking around them.
“I got it.” Blue Eyes grabbed the strap first, slinging it over his shoulder. “So, where’re you headed?” His head tilted as he looked at her. “You’re too young to be one of the crew … I’m guessing your parents have been assigned?”
Jane’s gaze narrowed further. “My mother,” she admitted, albeit curtly. Her father’s absence was still a touchy subject after all these years. “Lieutenant Commander Sarah McIntyre.”
His eyes widened. “Ah! Mom said something about her this morning,” he told her. Turning back the direction from which he’d come, he gestured for her to follow. “What were you doing all the way over here?”
Sighing, Jane had no choice but to follow. “I was trying to find our cabin and a second lieutenant three decks down told me to come this way.”
He scowled back at her. “Three decks? Do I even want to know how you ended up there?”
Jane shrugged. “Detours.”
“Ah.”
It took them about ten minutes and too many lefts and rights from what Jane recalled of the second lieutenant’s directions, but they finally came to a stop in front of a closed door. “Here you go.”
Jane stepped over to the keypad and entered the passcode her mother had given her that morning. Sure enough, it worked. The doors slid open wide and she moved inside. “Wow.”
Blue Eyes followed her, setting the bag on a nearby dining table. “Nice,” he murmured with a low whistle. “Good amount of room, too.”
Jane wandered a few steps over towards the living area, fingers drifting along the top of a shelf that was leaning against the back of a couch. “I don’t have much,” she told him absently.
He chuckled. “Trust me, you’ll get quite a collection after a while. You should see my place. I’ve got stuff all over. Books. Model kits. Special tech projects. You know.”
Turning towards him, Jane said, “I don’t even know your name.”
Stretching a hand out towards her, he replied, “John Shepard. We’ll probably have classes together, too. I’m guessing you’re … what, eighth grade?”
Jane nodded. “You?”
He nodded. “I thought as much. I’m ninth.”
“I see you found our quarters.”
Jane’s eyes drifted to the still open doorway to find her mother standing with someone. The man had soldier written all over him. Yet another reminder of her father. Dark hair, not unkind blue eyes, and a smile that was warm enough and directed at her. “And I see you met my son, young lady.”
“Dad.” Typical of most teenage boys, Jane noted, John rolled his eyes. The corner of her lips twitched in amusement.
“Staff Commander Thomas Shepard,” the man said by way of greeting, giving Jane a quick bow instead of salute. “You must be Jane.”
“I am.” She darted a quick look over at her mother who was smiling back. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
The elder Shepard gave his son a knowing look and turned towards the door. “Sarah, you and Jane get yourselves settled in then come on over to our quarters. I know Hannah’s looking forward to welcoming you with dinner tonight.”
Sarah chuckled. “As I recall, she likes any excuse to cook.”
“True enough.”
Jane glanced between the pair of adults before looking at John. “Guess I’ll see you later.”
John nodded. “Guess so.”
They departed, leaving Sarah and Jane alone in their quarters, both staring at the space side by side. “So … think we can do this?” Sarah asked after a moment.
Jane shrugged. “We did before, why not now?”
A soft snort escaped. “Because last time we were on land, in case it’s slipped your mind,” her mother chided. “You won’t be a skip hop or jump from a store or school or a friend’s house anymore. You’ll be stuck here, complete with the limitations being ship bound brings.” She sighed softly. “It’s been a while.”
Jane shrugged again. “I’ll find a way,” she promised. “And I kind of remember.” They’d been on a ship when news of her father’s death arrived.
Sarah dropped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “You always do. That’s one thing you got from your father, I’ll grant you that.”
Stepping forward, Jane hoped her mother didn’t see her wince. It still hurt talking about him, but at least it wasn’t as bad as it had been.
“So, tell me about John?”
Jane’s reply was immediate. “He ran me over.” When her mother snickered, Jane turned back to face her. “No, seriously, Mom, he ran me over. Bowled me like a pin. Came out of the shadows and --”
“Now, Jane …”
Sighing, Jane dropped onto the couch, flopping onto her back. “He did.”
“Then I’m surprised he was in one piece,” Sarah commented while crossing the room. She ducked through another doorway for a moment before returning with a box.
Jane knew good and well what was inside. Rising to her feet, she joined her mother. Once open, Jane reached inside first, removing the framed photograph of their small family. Her fingers drifted over the images for a moment, memories pouring back from a time when they’d been three and things had been good.
“I say we put it on the wall over here,” Sarah suggested, pointing to a spot near the desk they would both end up using.
Jane looked over, considered, then nodded. “I like it.”
They spent the next hour unloading their relatively few belongings and stowing away the crates they would at some point use when Sarah’s deployment aboard ship came to an end. After freshening up, they met again out in the common area. “Ready to go?” Sarah asked.
“How do you know them?” Jane countered. “It’s quite clear you know John’s dad.”
Sarah smiled. “Your dad introduced us years ago,” she explained. “They went through basic together. You wouldn’t remember it, of course, but they were there when you were born.”
Jane blinked in astonishment. “They were?”
Sarah nodded. “John too, I suppose. You both were too little to remember, but I do. So do Thomas and Hannah.” Sighing softly, she added, “Those were good times.”
Jane remained silent for a time as her eyes found the picture hanging on the wall. “I still miss him,” she murmured.
“Oh, honey, so do I,” Sarah assured her. “But we have to move forward. Your father wouldn’t want us stuck in the past and you know it.”
“I know.” She paused because there was something else driving her current state of mind, something she hadn’t told her mother yet. “Mom … what if … What if something happens to you?”
Sarah McIntyre turned her daughter, now standing barely an inch below her, and dropped strong hands to grasp her shoulders. “Jane.”
Jane pulled her lower lip between her teeth and bit hard while dropping her gaze and looking away. “I can’t --”
Sighing softly, Sarah pulled her daughter into a close embrace. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “Why didn’t you say anything when I told you about my promotion and deployment?”
Caught, Jane opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Eventually, she shrugged. “Dad … said he wouldn’t ever hold you back. How could I?”
“You sound too adult when you say things like that,” her mother told her. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “I can’t promise you anything, Jane, and you know that. It’s just how things are.”
Swallowing tightly, Jane nodded. She struggled to lift her head and look at her mother again. “I … know. It doesn’t help much, but … at least you’re honest about it.”
“And that’s important to me. Being as honest with you as I can.” Sarah hugged her daughter once more then took a step back. “Okay, we’re getting way too serious here. Let’s go get you introduced more properly to John and his family, hmm? We’ll save the serious stuff for later.”
Managing a smile, Jane nodded. It wasn’t a perfect resolution to the situation, but it would have to do. “Okay.”