#there are like 5 empty carafes and she just bounces from one to the next sooo disappointed

[thresholdbb]

Neelix is an absolute madman for leaving so many empty carafes out

[riderunlove]

Guns and Ghosts 10/?

Sometimes, no matter how badly you want it, bringing someone home just isn’t quite enough.

Medical cleared Luke- unable to justify keeping him. Trevor had argued it wasn’t safe to let him wander around, but Julie and Alex had convinced him it would be alright. Reggie hadn’t been able to speak past the anger choking him. They’d spent over a year searching for Luke and Trevor wanted to throw him back in a cell? They had no idea how Caleb had done what he’d done to him, but locking him up wouldn’t help them figure it out nor would it help him get better. Now an untouchable shadow haunted the base, and it set Reggie’s teeth on edge. He’d slept badly, and stumbled into the kitchen a few minutes after 5. There was already coffee in the pot. It had to be from yesterday. He’d warm it up and start over. He blindly groped for a mug and picked up the carafe, it was steaming. No one else is up. What the heck? He took a sip, the need for caffeine overriding his caution- it was just the way he liked it.  Only one person made coffee this good. “Luke?” He called softly. Nothing. He scoffed at himself, then nearly dropped his precious coffee when he turned around.

 “We need to get you a bell,” he joked. 

“Defeats the point of stealth.”  

“Keeps me out of an early grave,” he returned with a grin. Instinct had him reaching to lay his elbow on Luke’s shoulder, but he froze as his brother backed away from him. The blank mask cracked for a brief moment, replaced by fear. 

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Luke vanished in a flash of light. Reggie’s stomach turned, surely Luke hadn’t thought he would strike him. Maybe he’d just moved too quickly. 

Feeling off balance, Reggie took his coffee and headed for the music room. It would be empty at this hour, and playing would help him translate the ball of emotions lodged in his throat. 

As he slipped inside he realized the room was quiet but not empty. He switched on the lights and the shadow was gone. It’d been lingering in front of the guitars.  Reggie blew out a deep sigh and picked up Luke’s 6 string. The low E kept going flat, he’d been tuning it for months now but it wouldn’t hold. Likely because tuning and playing weren’t the same thing. Still,  it needed to be ready when his friend was. 

//

Alex wandered into the gym to find a small crowd. He weaved through, stopping next to Bobby, who had returned when he’d heard what happened. Reggie and Luke were squaring up on the sparring mat. Reggie was drenched in sweat and panting like he’d been sprinting, Luke looked like he could go several more rounds. Reggie moved first, and in 3 moves it was over. Reggie sprawled out on his back and Luke stood tense, as if he was expecting a blow. Too fast. Not human. Alex’s brain whispered. 

“C’mon, you know that’s not fair.” Reggie whined. He raised his hand, expecting help but Luke didn’t move. 

“Help a guy out, “ Reggie pleaded and almost before he finished the sentence Luke pulled him to standing. “Express elevator. I’m definitely done now,” he joked warmly. Luke looked tense, suspicious. 

“Show’s over,” Alex snapped, assuming the crowd was the problem. It didn’t help. If anything, as everyone filed out, Luke looked even more like a cornered animal. 

Alex caught Julie’s worried gaze, and forced a comforting smile. Normal Luke would have been bouncing around, excitedly recounting the ridiculous match looking for a compliment from Julie; current Luke resembled a statue expecting an attack.  

“Winner picks dinner, what do you want me to make?” Reggie queried, trying again to engage his friend. 

“Anything is fine,” the response was hesitant.  

Reggie nodded, considering.

 Alex knew he’d make one of Luke’s favorites.

“This is so weird,” Bobby shook his head. “He’s quiet, and still. How many times over the years did you beg for him to just shut up? And to stop fidgeting. Looks like you finally got what you wanted.” Bobby quipped. 

Alex knew he was trying to lighten the mood, that it was a joke, but guilt flooded him anyway.  He had wished for that many times when Luke’s enthusiasm scraped wrongly against his anxiety, but “Not like this. Never like this.” 

//

Julie didn’t know how to do this. Her and Luke’s interactions had always been charged in a warm way, tension fizzling pleasantly and bringing butterflies to her stomach. Sometimes she’d needed to remind herself to pay attention or she’d get lost in his eyes. When Dante had mockingly told them not to give him many choices, she had assumed the implication was that he might be dangerous and laughed it off. The actual meaning was so much worse. 

Ever since they’d returned and medical had released him, Luke had gravitated towards her, followed her around like a silent shadow.  No teasing, no borderline flirting, just a watchful presence. Flynn joined her for lunch and kept shooting her odd looks, she just rolled her eyes. 

“Go away, “ she told Luke. He vanished with a soft pop. None of the usual arguing, or silly justifications. Her stomach sank, but she convinced herself it was just a coincidence. 

That afternoon, she felt her concentration slipping as she worked on a mission report that was 6 months overdue. The man sitting in the corner staring at nothing much more interesting than the old op.  “I need coffee,” she muttered to herself. 

5 mins later a mug appeared next to her elbow as if by magic. Fixed just the way she liked it, 2 creams. “Thank you,” she whispered, giving him a soft smile. 

A hint of confusion leaked through the blankness, but he merely nodded and returned to his seat. 

“You didn’t want any?” She asked. She didn’t get a reply. By dinner the silent guard dog act was wearing her last nerve. She made a plate from the counter and went to join the others at the table but Luke hadn’t touched anything. She shoved her plate at him and snapped “You have to eat something. I haven’t seen you eat all day.” Then she made another plate for herself. He made quick work of clearing the plate, even eating the brussel sprouts she knew he hated, and a seed of fear bloomed in her gut, but she forced it away. She glanced at Alex and the concern on his face showed he’d noticed as well. 

That night she had a dream of a ‘before’ moment, when their family was well and Luke gently called her boss. 

Days bled into a routine until Trevor called an emergency meeting- that Luke was not invited to attend. 

“No semi corporeal beings allowed,” Reggie joked at the door. Luke turned to face Julie, as if expecting an order. Her heart clenched. 

“Go do whatever you want.” She told him. 

The uncertainty on his face made her eyes sting, but he finally nodded and vanished. 

Carrie and Nick had found the files. Medical had a way to fix the flickering. Those were the good things. That’s what she would focus on rather than the realization of what she’d become to Luke. The terrible pity on Alex’s face and the naked fear on Reggie’s. When he was better she’d tell him she wanted a new nickname- she was never letting him call her boss again.

[the-ghost-fangirl]

See your honor, Voyager is a great trek… it’s also a Comedy sometimes…

I rest my case.

Neelix is an absolute madman for leaving so many empty carafes out