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Gillian Taylor had made a wildly stupid decision. She had made many wildly stupid decisions in her life and not a single one held a candle to this— jumping 300 years into the future with no plan and belongings.
James Kirk was a good man, he and his husband had ensured she found housing and knew the very basics of her new century. But they couldn't stick around to hold her hand. And so she was utterly alone. Perhaps if she'd just gotten his number she could have called and he'd invite her into that welcoming family she'd gotten a taste of. But she'd been so set on her independence that she threw the chance away.
She stood on pier 39, leaning over the railing, enjoying the salty breeze as it ruffled her hair. That hadn't changed in all this time, the breeze and its smell. The breeze and her whales, those were the only things she had left to count on.
A woman appeared at her side, leaning on the railing same as her. Gillian looked over. She was Vulcan, Gillian could recognize that in the pointed ears, with brown curls pulled up in a neat ponytail, an proximation of typical Vulcan bangs falling over her forehead. The woman turned, dark eyes meeting her own.
"I know who you are," she said rather cryptically.
Gillian pulled a face, laughing almost imperceptibly. "Unlikely." She should have walked away but something about the Vulcan pulled her in.
"It was the crew of the Enterprise that brought you to this time, was it not?"
Shock and anxiety squeezed Gillian's chest. Of course word had gotten out, she had been brought here by the crew of the United Federation of Planets' flagship. Still, the idea of everyone around her knowing— of the constant bombardment of questions she was sure it face— it wasn't ideal.
"Yes..." She stretched the word, hoping for an explanation to interrupt.
"My fathers command the ship, it would be more surprising if I did not know of you, all things considered."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "You're Jim and Spock's daughter?"
"I just said so," she replied, voice flat but eyes sparkling with mischief.
Gillian laughed. Absolutely no doubt about that.
"May I ask what you are doing here?"
"Exploring."
"Would you mind if I join? I could offer valuable insight into the century."
Gillian ducked her head, suddenly feeling shy. She knew when she was being flirted with. She had gone to lesbian bars, been hit on by women before— but for someone to express interest so freely, so publicly, it was a breath of fresh air. What was a little more impulsivity? "I got nothing better to do." When she looked up the woman was giving her an almost smile. "But if I'm going to spend the day with you I need to know to your name."
"Saavik."
"Saavik," Gillian repeated, reveling in the green blush that dusted Saavik's cheeks as the name left her tongue. "I like it."
"I— thank you. Your name is pleasing as well."
She allowed Saavik to wrap a hand around her wrist as they made their way back towards the hubbub of the pier.
"What's our plan?" Gillian asked. She was happy to follow Saavik anywhere in the city, happy to simply have someone to spend a day with.
"I believe it would be best to start with something familiar to you," she replied as if giving a lecture.
Gillian nodded."You're the expert."
"Perhaps the ferris wheel, they existed in your time as well, yes?"
She couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, we had ferris wheels."
Saavik flashed a tiny grin taking off in a run, dragging Gillian behind. Gillian squealed with delight as she did her best to stay upright while weaving through the crowd. Her lungs burned as they reached the line. She doubled over, giggling too much to truly catch her breath. She could feel Saavik's eyes on her, see that amused glint in her gaze. Maybe it was only intoxicating because she was so lonely, but god did she want it to last.
The line moved quickly, the attendant ushering them into car. Saavik sat close to her, their thighs pressing together.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Gillian murmured as they began to move.
"What is it exactly you cannot believe you are doing?"
"Agreeing to spend the day with the first pretty stranger I meet."
"This can be anything you want it to be," Saavik told her.
She nodded, turning to look out towards the bay. It was beautiful up here, not even the ever present fog ruining the view. She took in the water, the place she had crash landed in this century. They'd told her had helped save the planet, the federation as a whole. She had to believe it— for her sanity if nothing else. Why should she live under the rules that had governed her life so far from everything she'd known? In what universe could she be the same person she was?
"I know what I want it to be," she answered, turning back to Saavik. "Or at least for today. We can see where it goes after that."
"It is a start."
"Yeah well, all I've got right now are starts."
Saavik placed a hand on her knee. "For now, that is all you need."
Gillian watched that hand on her knee. So much of her life had been pushing this down, believing it was wrong and now she was pressed close to an alien with two dads and despite the speed of it all. She wanted. She would regret this in the morning. The shame was sure to come. But for now, she would bask in the ease Saavik brought. "Can I kiss you?" she asked.
Saavik nodded.
Gillian took a deep breath and took Saavik's face in her hands, and pressed their lips together. It was bliss. It was everything she'd been denied. It was right.