Callum felt as if he was just about to fall flat on his face from how tired he was. Anxiety and stressed had eaten him whole. Bags had begun to appear underneath his eyelids.

Holding his mug entitled with the words of: Intelligent Badass Nerd, a gift Olivia had given him during their last year of the academy, under the coffee maker. His eyes dropped a few times, but he always jolted himself to stay awake. Watching lazily as the last bits of the coffee dripping into the hot steaming liquid.

He held back a needing yawn as he lifted the cup up to his lips after doctoring the drink with some cream. Sitting back down in his swivel chair, trying to distract himself with something for once. His room had no traces of needed cleaning with everything placed perfectly in their spots.

He'd always been such a clean person that it shocked most with his style and habits. Especially since he loved stashing snacks for later at night (specifically popcorn, Popcorners, and Doritos.) He rested his chin on the edge of the mugs rim, steam growing hot against him.

He felt restless and out of his mind. Nothing was going right, nothing he could even do about it. Gently taking another sip of his coffee, wondering what Brystal was doing out there. But his brain only showed him the terrors of what could happen.

"Lieutenant Commander Stewart, I've been trying to get you to the bridge for the past few minutes," The familiar voice of the captain interrupted his thoughts.

"Sorry, sir. I'm a wee bit distracted by my own thoughts at the moment. It's tiring to keep track of Lieutenant Hale to make sure she doesn't blast off Amaya's head."

"I put all my confidence and gratitude towards your efforts of keeping, Olivia under control," Jim carefully sat down in the chair in front of Callum's desk.

"Watching her is like waiting for a bloody bomb to explode at any second," Callum commented, "I swear I'm defusing a bomb everyday of my life."

Silence hung awkwardly in the air for a few moments before Jim commented, "Nice mug."

"Thanks, Via gave me it on our last Christmas as cadets that year. I didn't quite like the mug at first, but now I can see why they choose it for me. She knew I'm a complete and total nerd, which I thank her for," Callum smiled, remembering the memory.

"That's a very nice thought if hers," Jim gave him a small smile, but disappeared, quickly, "How are you holding up?"

"Honestly? I feel as if I'm about to hit the floor from the lack of sleep I've had lately," Callum sighed, "Everything seems to turn to chaos every time I'm there. Makes you think that your the curse causing all these happenings when really it isn't..........though it's hard to believe that reasoning when I was captured by the Borg Queen and she claimed I was this special guy who created blood transportation....highly effective....but that doesn't mean other shit hasn't happened yet.

Now Bry's been captured and my brains been going a million miles a minute just trying to figure out a way to get her back. I've had this diagnosis of thantophobia for a few weeks and it's been kicking me in the ass for a while.......losing someone.....losing Bry would probably wreck me.....not just me though, many people....."

Callum's words had struck a painful cord for Jim, who bit the inside of his lip at the thought of losing Brystal. Something that seemed quite unimaginable to him, but he had put her through the pain of when he technically died. Already having heard the comment by Issac how she's probably suffered the most pain out of everyone she knew.

The first thing to start her chain of pain was her mother's disappearance before it began o unravel. Amaya's betrayal, the death of her two Renegade friends Mason and Kat, almost losing Callum, her mother and father's death in the same day......that all lead up to his scarified. Everyone knew her pain, but they hadn't really noticed the toll it was taking on her.

But no one found a way they could blame her, except Marcus posting her up as a bounty. Making Jim wish he had shot Marcus instead of Khan ripping the admirals head off. Everyone on the Enterprise never knew of the bounty until Brystal's capture.

"I never asked you this, but.......since it's only right for me to assume you've been going through a lot?" Callum's voice broke Jim's thoughts, "I don't want to make myself feel selfish for not asking anybody else, especially you. I mean heck you're her boyfriend."

"Yeah......a lot.....but what else am I supposed to say? It not like I have a choice who lives or dies for her. If it's even a friend she knows or if a family members has to sacrifice themselves.......i just want her to be okay....and now I don't know if she is or not," Jim tried his best not to let his voice crack in his sentences.

A quiet silence hung the air, but the two men found the sense of understanding weaved its way through. The feelings of being the only few who were worrying about Brystal. Like both of their minds were racing with no control.

Callum suddenly understood why Jim had trusted Amaya in the first place. Even though she had made a good deal that didn't endanger the crew, Jim had only done it because if her knowledge on the scavengers. Amaya was the key to finding Brystal, but he'd been to angered by Amaya's presence to realize that.

Whether he disliked and hated Amaya with all his heart, he'd have to put the past behind in order to find Brystal. Knowing he could never forgive Amaya for what she had done or the way she had treated Brystal. But maybe that's what had been really clouding his mind.

Jim had never known Amaya, but he knew what Brystal had told him. Everything was painted black from when she was 18 as well was Amaya's. A makeup didn't seem like one was happening between the two very soon.

Losing anyone else was already bad enough.

Brystal uncomfortably shifted in her seat as she looked over at Frida. Examining the choice of clothing for the large bar. Being practically blinded from a red flashing light coming from the dance floor in the room next door, upbeat music being loud enough to break eardrums.

Frida had chosen a slightly dark red dress, sleeves floating off her shoulders. Her dark hair had been flowed down to the nape of her neck. A smile perched on her newly brushed red lips.

She looked straight out of a model for a fashion agency, having all the looks and needs one had to have to become a model. Brystal looked over to behind the counter, seeing the variety of strangely shaped glasses. She was admiring and searching around the room for something different.

She'd seen dozens of species and recreations crashing over towards a table after being sweaty from dancing. Shouts and whoops could be heard screaming against the loud music. Reminding her so much of the Anton Bar back home.

"I'll do two Slusho's, Romulus Ale on the rocks, and......a shot glass of Andorian wine. What are you getting?" Frida looked at the menu for a split second before looking over at Brystal.

Brystal found herself openly, gaping at Frida's choice of alcoholic drinks. Knowing those were all high alcohol levels that nobody should drink too many of. She caught herself composing herself to mange to ask for a drink.

"Dry martini on the rocks, stirred not shaken," Brystal told the ferengi bartender before turning over to Frida, "Are you crazy?!?"

"Hm?" Frida tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Those drinks have high alcohol rates, especially just even a shot glass of Andorian wine," Brystal explained.

"For regular humans and aliens, yes it is extremely high. But the only thanks I send to Arik is for making my alcohol tolerance rate very high to allow me to have as much as I want without getting drunk," Frida replied.

"Huh," Brystal mumbled to herself just as the bartender laid the drinks in front of the two, "Why are you guys even allowing this for me? You should be keeping me in cuffs or at least in a a cage."

"Do you really want that?" Frida asked.

Frida was right to ask that question. Brystal had made a good point, but that didn't mean that was what she wanted. Being cuffed to the wall or being captive inside of a cage were not the best thing in the world.

Wouldn't be very fun to get beaten to death.....not like that had never had happened to her before. Neither was it fun to be held at chokehold by a strong foe. For once, Brystal felt a sense of gratitude towards Frida.

"No....i guess not," Brystal answered, taking a sip of her martini.

"A martini?" Frida casually asked.

"It was all that came to mind," Brystal replied, "If you don't mind me asking.....if it's not too personal.....what timeframe from Earth are you from?"

Frida bit her bottom lip before answering, "1993."

Brystal felt her eyes widen, but tried her best not to show shock. She knew very well that Elsa had been taken in the summer of 1986, making her old friend three hundred something years old, but still looked 13 years old. Frida looked as if she was at least mid twenties.

"How old were you?" Brystal asked.

"27." 

"What did Arik say that made you think you should leave?" Brystal asked.

"He......it may be stupid, but........he said there would be people who would except me for who I was. I was the oddball out of my family, and they all looked down at me.....belonging was all I ever wanted......it's what most of us wanted....a-and Arik manipulated us because of that," Frida's voice cracked.

"Then why still work for bastard like him?" 

"He's not a person who just lets you go. He never stopped trying to find your mother, you know? Especially when he heard she had two kids, considered hybrids. And then a starfleet admiral posted during the Khan attacks, a bounty for you," Frida explained, taking a swig from the shot glass.

Brystal felt her teeth grit in anger, knowing it was obvious who the admiral was, "Marcus?"

"Right.....I mean.....you must've had quite the reputation back at Starfleet."

"I don't give  damn if my reputation was bad to Marcus. He already tried to kill my friends," Brystal remarked, bitterly.

Frida exchanged a smile towards Brystal before speaking once again, "Pretty much the same things happened to Jason and Silas."

Brystal saw Frida's eyes dart towards the dance floor where Jason was partying with a few other aliens. While Silas in a corner talked with a yellow haired woman, smiling  and laughing. As if it was like a distraction from the world they lived in.

"What made Jason get his robotic arm?" Brystal cautiously asked Frida.

"It happened after a futile mission. Jason had messed up really bad, like he didn't kill the person he was supposed to kill. It was a traitor who ran away from Arik......but Jason knew them....he couldn't bare to have his friends blood in his hands.

Of course this enraged Arik to take an extreme type of torture. Right before me and Silas, we watched as Arik ordered Viper to tear off Jason's right arm....he did so. Right then and there, Arik threatened us that if we failed it may be more than an arm that gets ripped off. But he was generous to give Jason a robotic arm that gave him strength against other Recreations."

Brystal felt Frida's sorrow that emitted off her voice, taking in how horrible it must've been to watch. Arik's ways of torture scared everyone at Starfleet, but that made them want to end his reign of terror.

"That should've never happened to you...people like you.....everyone deserves to belong, nobody should face that pain of watching someone hurt your friends."

The two women sat in silence as another tune began to pour out of the speakers. Frida took the last drops of liquid from her shot glass before sliding it over to the side. Sorrow and pain made her own memories come back.

Brystal took a slow slip from her martini, her mind began thinking about other recreations. Elsa had left Starfleet to go help Recreations live a normal life far away from Arik. Maybe that was something that Brystal could've started focusing in if she ever saw Elsa again.

"I think it's my turn to ask you a few questions," Frida returned to her cheerful self, replacing the gloomy look in her eyes.

"Fair enough," Brystal shrugged, putting her elbows on the back of the counter.

"You were a Renegade?"

"Correct."

"What was straining  like to become a Renegade like? Was this a decision from childhood?" Frida fired at her.

"It was rough because a lot of the work would cut time out of my life as a a teenager, but I wanted to be part of it ever since I was seven. The day my mother and father decided it was time for me to see what Starfleet does on delegate meetings and negotiations. I met many friends that were part of the Renegades, and my godfather had started the whole thing.

I trained myself days on end to keep up with hand to hand combat and swords, but I managed to earn a spot. Which I knew probably would've made my mother proud if she wasn't captured by the Borg Queen at that time."

"And your resume for Starfleet says your a science officer? Why not security?"

"Issac and Cauis had this bad joke that if you wore a red shirt, you'd die immediately that scared me as a kid.  But I always had a love of science from the moment I read a book on Marie Curie, I was hooked to science."

"And you're dating the playboy, famous, and well known James T. Kirk?" Frida smiled, cockily.

"Shush," Brystal playfully rolled her eyes.

Frida bubbled out a sweet chuckle, "Hey! Don't mind me asking while I can. Everyone knows this the first committed relationship we've ever heard he's been in, and you're the lucky girl. Not to mention , you are really pretty and hot."

Brystal felt her cheeks bloom red from being flustered by the friendly comment, "Look...um....a lot of my friends said it was oblivious to love.....turns out we were both crushing on each other. Don't pull the playboy card because he's truly a sweetheart. Amazing taste in music......everything's been good between us for the past few months.....of course there has been a few fights too....but what couple doesn't fight?"

"You look really happy when you talk about him," Frida smirked.

"Yeah, and what's wrong with that?" Brystal inquired.

"No, just the comfort and love you're talking about. He sounds like your everything and not the asshole some people talk about him being. You love him a lot."

Brystal found herself unable to suppress a smile as her cheeks warmed, "Yeah....I do."

A/N: 

Callum just being his relatable self again. It was fun digging deeper into his life when everyone says he had the perfect life with both parents and no troubles. They are so wrong.

He faces depression, stress, bad anxiety, and thantophobia. (And PTSD) His anxiety is based off of mine since I had it a lot as a kid and a lot of anxiety attacks. So he's caught a few of my problems.

Hope you enjoyed!