Love and Future

Posted on 24 Jul 2026 @ 7:14pm by Captain Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler
Edited on on 26 Jul 2026 @ 1:24pm

3,050 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Acceleration
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: February 7, 2391 || 1900 hours

Harvey had never been more grateful for holographic nannies. Part of him felt guilty, leaving the children so often in the care of a holographic construct, especially after Joey had spent much of the last six months off duty. He at least was thankful that Gamma Intelligence had allowed her to begin with light duty, which was mostly paperwork and partial days instead of full ones.

But for a night like tonight, he was grateful for any help he could get. The ship was at warp, traveling to Mellon, and this left very few private places aboard the ship. Among those, including the Ready Room and Captain's Mess, had too many public access points. The ship's recreational rooms could be reserved, but that wouldn't stop anyone from just coming by and knocking on the door. This left the ship's holodecks, which Harvey found to be perfect for this occasion.

The kids were snuggled in with the holonanny, and Harvey was now putting the final touches on dinner, a table for two on a balcony raised high in a mountain that overlooked a valley sea. He wasn't sure the name of the planet, or if it even belonged to one. He'd seen the setting days ago in the ship's library and asked the computer to make it come to life. Even now, as he stood against the railing where the sun was setting in the horizon, he couldn't help but absorb the beautiful sight.

Joey drifted toward the balcony rail, fingertips brushing the cool metal as she leaned forward to take in the sweeping valley below. For a moment, she let herself get lost in it—the impossible depth of the chasm, the way the light spilled like liquid gold across the distant sea, the soft rustle of wind threading through the trees. It was so vivid, so achingly serene, that she almost forgot it wasn’t real. Just a few prompts, a holodeck, and a computer that knew how to mimic wonder. Not that it mattered.

A breeze curled around her, catching the hem of her pale blue dress. The bodice hugged her comfortably—structured enough to flatter, soft enough to move with her—before loosening at the waist into a skirt that fluttered around her legs like a breath of sky. She turned toward Harvey, the motion sending another ripple through the fabric, and her smile warmed as soon as her eyes found him. “It’s beautiful,” she said, then crossed the short distance between them, the fading sunlight painting her in soft amber. "All of it. Thank you for putting so much thought into tonight.”

For the first time in months, the weight she’d been carrying felt lighter, and the support she had from him and others made it easier to get the pieces back in place.

Harvey glanced over to Joey with a smile, pleased that she was pleased with the setting he and the computer had collaborated on. He was just about to look back to the valley sea to point out a barely visible reef, but then snapped his head back to Joey. While he was accustomed to seeing her out of uniform, it was not every day that she would wear something so alluring.

"It is a night of celebration," he remarked, a smile growing on his face. "For many reasons," Harvey then confirmed. It was the first night of their last cargo run. The first night of her first day back on duty. The first night since their sudden getaway to New Risa. It felt as though a spark was back, and tonight seemed to immediately confirm Harvey's suspicion.

Joey leaned in without hesitation, her lips brushing his cheek in a soft, grateful kiss. “We really do,” she murmured before letting her head come to rest on his shoulder, the familiarity of him grounding her as she turned her gaze back toward the valley sea. The holodeck’s simulated breeze lifted the ends of her hair and sent another gentle ripple through the skirt of her dress, but she barely noticed—her attention was on the way the sun dipped behind the distant ridge, painting the sky in molten color.

“It feels good,” she said quietly, not moving from him. “To have nights like this again. To celebrate something instead of just… getting through.” Her fingers brushed his hand lightly, a small gesture of connection rather than emphasis.

The scenery stretched endlessly before them, breathtaking in its detail. And even knowing it was all a construct—just code, light, and carefully rendered illusion—Joey let herself believe in it. Because the warmth at her side was real. The reasons to celebrate were real. And Harvey’s effort, his thoughtfulness, his desire to give her this moment… that was the most real thing of all.

"Not just getting through," Harvey remarked. It was easy to forget that one needed to live life outside of roles, such as Captain or Father or even Husband. If life had taught them both anything over the last few years, it was that roles came and went, or evolved over seasons. But the person wearing them was still worthy or recognition and investment.

Even if that meant being Harvey and husband and best friend at all the same time.

"But also living again." He laughed gently as he smiled and pulled her close beside him so the right side of his hip touched her left. "Though at this rate, we may never sit down for dinner."

Joey’s smile deepened as Harvey drew her in, her body fitting easily against his side. The simple closeness—hip to hip, his warmth steady beside her—felt like its own kind of luxury. Alone time had become a rare commodity, something they talked about more often than they actually experienced, and she savored the moment for exactly what it was. “I don’t mind if we never sit down,” she said softly, tilting her face up toward him with a quiet, contented grin. “I’m just happy to be here with you. Just us… that doesn’t happen nearly enough.”

She let her hand rest lightly against his chest for a beat before lowering it again, her gaze drifting back out over the breathtaking valley sea. The simulated wind brushed past them, carrying the scent of pine and cool mountain air, and Joey took a slow breath as if grounding herself before speaking again. “Actually,” she added, her voice gentler now, threaded with a hint of anticipation, “there’s something I need to tell you.” She lifted her head from his shoulder, though she didn’t step away. “And I think… right now is a pretty good time.”

"Oh?" Harvey asked, glancing over to look at Joey. He'd caught the tonal change in her voice, flagging it immediately as a sign of caution. "Everything okay?"

Her expression softened, and she reached for Harvey’s hand before he could worry himself into imagining the worst. Joey's smile was gentle but sure, the kind meant to settle any nerves he might have. “Everything’s fine,” she assured him, giving his fingers a light squeeze. “Really.”

Joey took a small breath, not out of hesitation but because saying it aloud made it feel real in a new way. Her gaze drifted briefly back toward the painted horizon before returning to him. “If things keep going the way they have been, I should only have a few more counseling sessions before I'll be cleared for full duty again," she said with a bright smile. There was pride in her voice, but also relief—quiet, earned, and deeply felt. “I’m starting to feel like myself again. More and more every day.”

Her free hand brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she added, “Even the nightmares aren’t nearly as bad as they used to be. They’re still there, but… they don’t have the same hold on me anymore.”

While he hadn't assumed the worst, Harvey could easily tell that whatever she wanted to tell him, she was nervous about doing so. The smile on his face hoped it was reassuring, providing Joey comfort as she shared how she felt. "That's great to hear," he told her. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

“I know,” Joey said, her voice warm and steady. She lifted her gaze to him, the soft glow of the sunset catching in her eyes. “I can tell you anything. And thank you… for always being there for me. For holding the line when I couldn’t. For not giving up on me and on us. I know things weren't easy.”

She drew back just enough to meet his eyes fully, her expression open and sincere. “That goes both ways, you know. You can tell me anything, too. Good, bad, and everything in between. I want to be that person for you just as much as you’ve been for me.”

Harvey laughed gently, not because he found her sincerity comical, but because it both brought a sense of joy to his should as well as confirmed that she was moving beyond her darkest days. “You already are that person,” he confirmed to her. “You have been since we’ve met, and so have I.”

The smile that formed softened Joey's whole face and reached her eyes. She lifted her hand to his cheek, thumb brushing lightly along his skin as she looked at him with a tenderness that had been there for years—steady, unwavering, earned. “You’ve been that person for me since nearly the day we met,” she said, her voice low. “You’ve always been someone I can lean on, the one I can trust without ever having to second‑guess it. That hasn’t changed. Not once.”

Her hand slipped from his cheek to rest against his chest, fingers curling lightly into the fabric of his shirt as she held his gaze. There was no hesitation in her expression—only openness, and a quiet strength that had taken time to rebuild.

“I trust you,” she added, softer but no less certain. “Completely.”

For a moment she simply stood there with him, letting the breeze move around them, letting the closeness settle. Then her expression shifted—still gentle, but more curious now. “How are you feeling? It’s been some time since… everything that happened during our captivity. And I know how much of that you carried, even when you didn’t say it out loud.”

There was no pause in his response, only a soft exhale from his lungs. If there was an urge to glance away, even for a minute, there was resistance to keep his eyes looking into her own. "There are days I still feel guilty," he told her. "The twins never suspected, and neither did the dogs. I'm supposed to be that first and last line of defense, and for weeks I didn't know it wasn't you."

He fought the urge to sigh again. Hindsight was, as they say, twenty-twenty. Looking back, he could see the signs clearly, but only because the context had been exposed. Without context, it had just appeared that Joey had become alive again, much like they'd been when they were first dating.

His hands pressed against her back, drawing her just a little bit closer. "And every day, I am thankful that we are whole again. And whatever happens with rank or ship doesn't matter. As long as we are together, that is all that matters."

Joey leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, lingering just long enough for the warmth of it to settle between them. When she drew back, her smile was gentle but sure, touched with the kind of affection that had only deepened through everything they’d survived.

“I do feel better,” she said, her voice low but steady. “A lot better than I did before.” Her fingers slid lightly along his jaw before resting against his chest, right over his heartbeat. “There are still moments… times when something triggers a memory I wasn’t expecting. But navigating them isn’t the same anymore. It’s easier now. I don’t get stuck in them the way I used to.”

She shifted closer when his hands pressed against her back, letting herself melt into the embrace he offered so freely. Her forehead brushed his temple as she continued, softer now, but no less certain. “We’re whole again because we fought our way back to it. Together and with the crews help.” Her hand curled lightly into his shirt, grounding herself in him. “And no matter what happens — rank, ship, duty, any of it — we’ll always have each other. The kids will always have us. That’s what matters. And I will always love you. All of you. You, the twins, the dogs. Our whole little universe. That’s never going to change.”

They said that space was the final frontier, a vast openness without end. But the truth was, space was all the same. Life form after life form, species after species, all trying to make their way in the cosmos. The real final frontier, that’s what Harvey was exploring now with Joey. It was life. Navigating each twist, each turn, and learning more about each other, their teammate, all along the way. 

The space between them had disappeared all together now. Had he pulled her any closer, their bodies would have to merge together, and the last he checked neither of them was a semi-liquid organism. So instead, he removed a hand from her backside and ran a loose strand of her hair over her ear. “Just as my love for you will never change.”

Joey leaned in to close the last sliver of space between them and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. When she eased back, her smile was warm and full, the kind that carried years of shared history and every quiet moment that had brought them here. “I love you, Harvey” she said simply. Her hand slid up to rest against his jaw, thumb brushing lightly along his skin. “I always have, and I always will.”

She stayed close, her forehead nearly touching his. “Everything we’ve been through… everything we’ve had to fight our way back from… it just makes this stronger. Us stronger.”

Harvey had planned much for the evening, but even he found himself not wanting to leave this moment. Perhaps that was one of the best features of the holodeck and replicated food. A moment could last forever, and the food could be recycled and refreshed.

It was a shame that the world outside did not work the same way.

Then, he remembered. "You said there was something you needed to tell me?"

"I did," Joey said, the corners of her mouth lifting into a smile. Her fingers curled lightly into the fabric of his shirt as she continued, her eyes locked on his. "I would really like to expand our family, and was hoping that might be something you may want, too."

He blinked twice, her words echoing in his mind. Somehow he didn't expect to hear those words from her, and in a brief moment, he thought of his time in Sickbay following their harrowing capture and escape from the Confederation. It was the last time he'd given pregnancy a thought and it had been associated with a doppleganger. And now, here the real Joey was asking for his thoughts.

As terrifying as that moment was months ago, he was in a different place now, and with the right woman. His eyes did not break from hers, especially when he replied, "I'm sure we could get our quarters expanded. Or see if we can get something new built in one of the catamarans."

Her breath caught just a little—not in fear, but in that warm, fluttering way that came when hope and possibility brushed against something real. “Does that mean what I think it does?” Joey asked softly, placing a hand against his chest, her eyes never wavering from his own.

“You mean aside from the fact that we’ll need bigger quarters?” Harvey asked, a small twinkle in his eyes. “Can you imagine how the twins will react? Jameson might use the little one as a rag doll if we’re not careful.”

Joey let out a soft, delighted laugh—one that bubbled up naturally. She tipped her head back just enough to look at him fully, her smile bright and touched with mischief. “Oh, absolutely,” she said, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Alison would treat a baby like her own living doll. She’d probably carry them everywhere, brush their hair, pick out their outfits… and not let anyone get too close unless she approved.”

Her laugh deepened, affectionate and knowing. “She’d be the most protective big sister in the quadrant. And Jameson—well, we’ll just have to make sure he understands babies aren’t built for acrobatics.”

Harvey chuckled. His remark about Jameson had been intended as a joke, and he was grateful that that was how it was received. "I think we'll find him more protective than Alison, especially if the little one winds up being a girl."

But all of this right now assumed that the process resulted in a single child. Joey had been pregnant only once before, and that had resulted in twins. Genetically, statistically and biologically speaking, the chances were high that the second round would be just as bountiful.

“You’re right,” Joey said, amusement dancing in her eyes. “He does exhibit a bit of a protective nature even with Alison even though she's older."

She rose onto her toes and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, her smile lingering there even after she eased back. “But, we should take advantage of our time together," she said as her smile deepened. "Let’s enjoy this moment while it’s ours.”

Harvey smiled and leaned in once more for another kiss, this one more passionate than the last. The evening was young, and they both would find ways to maximize the time spent with each other before parenthood and duty called them home. 

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