Destined | Christopher Pike

Chapter Eight

Emma felt nervous as she shuffled through the sparse citizen clothes she had packed. She had never quite banked on having dinner with the Captain before. She had to stop herself from overthinking. Captain Pike was normal and he wanted to be treated normally. She remembered that her mother struggled with people holding her on a high pedestal because she was a Captain and then Admiral. Her mother had a whole personality outside of Starfleet just as Captain Pike would.

Finally, she just decided to settle on something simple and comfortable. A pair of high waisted, black skinny jeans with a chunky, beige colored sweater tucked into the front and a pair of ankle boots. She did, however, keep her hair pulled up since she would be baking. She had a weird thing about her hair being in the way when she was busy doing something.

Another bought of nervousness hit her as she began to walk to Captain Pike's quarters. What if someone questioned where she was going? What would she even say? Telling someone that she was having a dinner with the Captain of the ship could potentially raise suspicions. She also didn't want to gain a bad reputation since she was only a cadet. There wasn't anything going on though. It was just an opportunity for them to get to know one another just like every other member of the Enterprise had.

Still, she stood at his door, hesitant to press the button to request to go inside. She thought for a second about turning around and going back to room, but it would look bad if she did. She swallowed anymore reservations and pressed the button. Seconds later, the doors slid open and she walked in to find Captain Pike stirring something in a pot. He had an apron thrown over a pullover and her eyes landed on the sculpted muscles the shirt highlighted.

She felt her heart rate increase at the sight. The gold Starfleet shirt she saw him in most of the time was not as nearly as tight as the current shirt he was wearing. She blinked rapidly, trying to brush away any inappropriate thoughts she was having. He was her Captain. She was a Cadet.

"S-Smells good." Emma attempted to compliment his cooking before he figured out something was wrong.

"Thank you." Christopher told her and tilted his head slightly when he saw her facial expression. She looked almost panicked. "You can come in, Emma. I don't bite. You want something to drink? I've got wine, coffee, water."

"Wine would be great, actually. Thank you." She told him. She needed something to relax. She walked closer to the kitchen and watched as he poured her a small glass. She took a small sip, savoring the taste.

"I'm not sure exactly what you need for those brownies you were talking about, but I do try and keep the kitchen pretty well stocked." Christoper explained. "Let's see...pantry is over there and the pans are kept to the right of the stove. If you have any questions, just ask."

"Thank you." She told him before beginning to rummage through what food he had. For a while, they both were quiet as they focused on the food they were cooking. Emma knew she should have been talking. After all, this was suppose to be an opportunity to get to know her Captain. "So, would it be inappropriate for me to ask why you joined Starfleet?"

"Not at all. Honestly, because I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. My father was a science teacher and he instilled a love of science and wondering into me. I think that had something to do with why I joined. I actually ended up doing quite well at the Academy. What about you?" He asked.

"I think it was kind of...premeditated given the fact that my mother is an Admiral and my father is an Ambassador. I spent most of my childhood aboard Starfleet ships. Part of me thought about becoming a scientist, but I think I was worried about disappointing my parents." She admitted.

"That's right. You studied environmentalism at the Academy." Christoper said.

Emma stopped stirring the brownie batter. How did he know about that? She turned to look at him. "I-I'm sorry. You know about that?"