Posted by Lieutenant Ian Bordeaux (Chief Diplomatic Officer) in First Date..Or Not —8 Years Ago —

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*** Two Hours Later - Robins Apartment ***

A room had never been packed so fast as he heard the door behind him, Ian came in eyes wide at the sight before him. “Did you get an early deployment? I thought we had three months till we both went to the Starbase.” Ian said looking at his roommate with a sense of confusion as he looked around at all the bags of Christopher.

“Change of plan, I asked to go to Memory Alpha, research and… it’s… ” Chris choked back a bit as he held back the smallest of stinging moisture from his eyes. “She didn’t pick me … ” he blurted out as as he choked back as his eyes darted, feeling a sense of vulnerability in this moment. They may have been bros but next to Lexi, Ian was the one person he shared everything with.

“What… what do you mean she didn’t pick you… how could she not pick you? She’s been just as in love with you for years as you have been with her.” Ian replied, feeling like something was missing as he stood looking at Chris with a sense of bewilderment in what his friend was telling him.

“I had the Cafe’ ready… Northstar Cafe’… I …” he paused before telling the story, every moment he felt his heart drop as he retold it it. Somehow telling it didn’t make it any easier.

“Dude… no no no… she… she must not… that’s not our Lexi she would never do that to you.”

“Well… she did… and I am not going to stay here to see her again… I can’t… I won’t.” he said as he looked around the room, explaining the bags in the room. “I got the transfer request approved as quickly as I could, that Captain Calin you so bad mouthed seemed to like me, got me an approval to take me tomorrow from the USS Odin as the drop by supplies. ” Chris paused as he bit his lower lip, he loved Ian like he was one of his brothers. Hell his brothers and Ian has meet several times, they had seen each other in both Louisiana and Australia, the same was true of Lexi and her family. All three became one big happy family over the last four years.

“I’m sorry we are not going to meet up at Starbase 13, I know that was what we wanted… but that… I can’t be here for three months with her as she gets back together with Noah, I can’t get crushed over and over now that I opened those flood gates.” he said, hoping Ian would understand as he waited.

“I… I’m gonna miss you man.” Ian said, that was all he could say. He told Chris to go for it, he got his best friends heart broken tonight. Putting his arms around Chris he gave him a hug and pat on the back before looking around, the apartment was looking much smaller now that all his items had been packed.

“You need help? How are you taking all of this in one go?” Ian asked looking at the four boxes and three bags he had.

“Crewmen from the Odin will load the shuttle up for me, the’ll be by in an hour, I am heading now though… if Lexi comes by… I… just… tell her I’m sorry for misunderstanding.” Chris said as he the solitary tear fall as he tried his best to choke back the emotions as he grabbed the bag and put it around his body. Moving past Ian he patted him one last time on his shoulder, knowing very well this maybe the last time her ever sees any of the two.

Cadet Christopher Robins

*** Ffteen Minutes Later - Robins Apartment ***

“Chris,” Lexi yelled out his name as she entered his quarters. Her volume was loud but her tone cracked as she called out for Robins producing an almost staccato version of his name. It was hard to think right now let alone try to voice what was churning about in her mind. The strained use of his name was the physical manifestation of the turmoil she felt. The past thirty minutes had been an odd mix of regret, happiness, and anger. Three hours ago she, Ian, and Chris had been sitting at a cocktail party thrown by a graduating colleague. Chris had said he would make things right. He said he would get Noah there. He had kissed the side of her head and then left. Lexi then walked into what could easily have been a dinner someone put in enough effort for to propose marriage. Chris however wasn’t there. Noah left her sitting alone and no one was answering a comm call. The only thing she could do was physically search for Chris. Arriving at his quarters, Lexi was dealt a blow she did not need a road map to arrive at. Standing in the middle of his quarters, wearing the dark red dress Chris had picked out last year, her high heels slung over two fingers, Lexi was surrounded by boxes. The site stopped her dead in her tracks as she looked around.

“Chris,” she called out his name again. The boxes and bags stacked neatly against the wall meant only one thing: Chris Robins was shipping out. Walking up to the boxes she ran her fingertips slowly over the top feeling dizzy and sick at the same moment. She knew this moment was coming but Chris told her they had three months. The boxes told a different story. This was going to go down in history as the story of how in one night Alexandra Garfield lost the only two men in the world that made her feel special and loved. Her chest ached as if she had been physically punched hearing no reply or seeing Chris pop out from the bedroom. The physical manifestations of her emotions was getting hard to suppress. Breathing caused her lungs to burn as Lexi fought back the emotions welling up in her. For all his good intentions, Chris had caused her more pain than Lexi ever thought she could feel. Lexi could get over things ending with Noah. What she couldn’t get over was being left like any one of the multitudes of women who entered his life then unceremoniously dropped as if they meant nothing. How could he just run out on her like this? Chris had given her no inclination of what he had thought the night would be and yet now seemed to be ghosting her. Anger was fighting with sadness as she thought about the evening. Why was he not here to talk to explain? When she needed him most, Chris was doing what he always did the second someone admitted they needed him. Chris was cutting and running without a hi, bye, or kiss my arse. The thought that he could run out on her after tonight changed her emotions from sad to furious.

“Christopher David Robins,” Lexi snapped channeling every emotion she felt into a single one as she walked to the only place he could be hiding. Pure anger fueled her as Lexi palmed the door open.

Cadet Lexi Garfield