The Vow au bc I love this plot twist and Aqua/Jim are adorable

[done_in_3]

Three years, nearly four, of wedded bliss. Jim was calmer, more focused and honestly a better captain. He had his wife, his beloved Aqua to thank for that, she was his light, his heart, his whole world. She kept him grounded and morally upright and he honestly took fewer stupid risks with his life thanks to her. The crew ran better, the Enterprise had better records, life was good.

Jim had bought them a house for when he was on Shore Leave on Earth, it barely got used but when Enterprise was docked, well they needed to crash somewhere. It was a nice place in San Francisco, in the heart of downtown and worth every penny of the millions it was worth.The property values were sky high but Jim was a veteran captain and got paid accordingly. He used his money on very little else besides charity so he was happy to spoil his wife with a comfortable home. Besides, if and when they had kids... well if their house just happened to be in an ideal school district he wouldn't call it an accident.

Everything was perfect, which begged for it all to come crashing down soon enough. Jim wouldn't remember the crash or the drunk kids in a truck behind him and Aqua on the road, he wouldn't remember that he shouldn't be alive, his wayfinder had saved him....but he doesn't know what this anymore. All he knows is he's laying in bed, he feels numb.. and he's waking up in what sounds and smells like a hospital.

"Mmm... mm." he was so tired and yet his mind was racing with questions. 'Where am I? What happened? Where's my ship?'

Comments

:( someone's gotta make that money

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"Me too." he walked over with her and washed up at the kitchen sink.

"Are you... okay?" he didn't know how to ask 'how is my noticeable absence in your life affecting you?' but that's what he wanted to know. Once his hands were clean he'd dig into that breakfast with gusto... and slow down immediately to savor it. That's how it was obvious to tell if he actually liked something. He could say anything, for politeness or to avoid hurt feelings. But he ate foul things fast, he ate things he liked slowly.

"This is really good..."

Yup, but ehh it should be an easy day

[watersacrificed]

"I'll be fine.." That was Aqua's go-to answer for everything. Especially when things were bothering her. She didn't want to lean against Jim for hep, especially now since he had no clue what their relationship meant to each other. She had survived worse and would get through this--both of them would.

A smile danced along her lips watching him slow down to eat his food. Good to know she could still make a meal that could leave him wanting to lick his plate clean. She prepared a small plate for herself. For some odd reason she didn't feel like eating much this morning.

"I tried my best. It took me forever to find the right ingredients, given your allergies. But, it was worth it." She took a little bite of her eggs.

"What about you? Are you okay?"

Where do you work at? My extended fam owns a Baskin Robbins

[done_in_3]

"Me? I'm great, I have a pretty wife, an awesome house, and delicious food. This is what I always wanted as a kid." when he was poor and living in Iowa under the abusive thumb of frank and mourning his runaway brother and dead father.

"But you aren't fine. You might be fine later but you aren't now. I know that's mostly me... so let's try to do something new. Maybe my memory will come back and maybe it won't but in the meantime let's do something new. For both of us." that would be a way to bond without him feeling like he was supposed to have a specific reaction. He could be himself.

I work in retail shops, yay retail :l

[watersacrificed]

Aqua forced herself to look away from him, a bit displeased that he could see right through her rouse. Memories or not, he always could read her like a book. That was something that would never change.

"Somethings will never change.." she murmured to herself, turning her attention back to him.

"We could do something new. Though it's pretty limited here and no, we're not going on back on your ship..." she let her sentence trail on, trying to think of something they haven't done before.

"What would you like to do?"

Fuck. Retail.

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"Hey I have to be good at reading people, it' part of my job. But let's go somewhere we never went before. We don't spend that much time off Enterprise I bet and you know it as well as I do by now so... let's explore San Francisco. There's got to be somewhere we didn't go before. It's a huge city. There's got to be a museum or a store we haven't been to. Come on." he finished his meal with a smile on his face, renewed vigor in his heart.

"You're my wife and I don't really know you so... let's go out." clearly this was going to be great given his grin. He couldn't be faulted for lack of enthusiasm.

My feelings exactly

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Aqua raised an eyebrow at his idea, not because it was silly or anything. But because it sounded cute and how excited he got...it was like he was a puppy, filled with energy and unable to keep it to himself.

"If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were asking me out on a date," she teased, taking a final bite of her food before getting up to clean the table.

"Alright. Let's go, but again, I'm driving. Go shower and change, I'll clean things up here."

Retail and food service man. People just SUCK. I hate customers

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"I am." he said proudly "You're the prettiest girl around here and I want to take you out." honestly he felt much more comfortable now, embracing his lack of memories rather than trying to force them to return. Even if he got his memory back this would be a good moment for them, and if they didn't come back then he'd have to start over and the sooner the better.

"Alright." he rushed upstairs and showered, then dug through his closet and found something cool, it was nice to have good clothes for when he wasn't in uniform. He headed downstairs and smiled at her. "Alright, we're just going to go wherever we want. But it has to be a place neither of us has been, that's the only rule. And no lying saying you've never been when you have ok?"

no, people are just idiots. :l

[watersacrificed]

Aqua smiled brightly at him, embracing his idea and him. He might not get his memories, but she had to make the most of it. If being around familiar things didn't help, then maybe doing something new...it could help him out. If anything it would give him new memories to hold and realize he did love her.

She finished cleaning the kitchen and breakfast plates while he was upstairs. While he was gone she felt her stomach started to do flips. Her stomach was just fine when she was eating breakfast. Was she nervous? Or was her stress manifesting itself in a different way? She tried to put it out of her mind, taking two antacids.

"Why would I lie to you? Hm?" she teased, moving past him to head back up to their bedroom. "Give me a moment to get ready."

It took her less than ten minutes to get herself ready for the day, coming down the stairs in jean shorts and cute shirt. Something that made her look ordinary, minus her blue hair.

"Alright, where to?"

Yes, clueless but also really selfish sometimes

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He waited patiently, filled with nervous excited energy himself. He smiled at her when she reappeared. "You look cute."

He wondered as he headed to the car. "Uuuuhm where do we even go?" he looked briefly on his phone. "I remember there was this tea house Sulu talked about one time... actually nevermind, we probably went there. Actually let's just get in the car and drive. We'll stop wherever looks interesting."

Yeah, they can be and now I need to get ready for work :(

[watersacrificed]

A faint blushed appeared on her cheeks when he called her cute. She shook her head at him, tucking a stray lock of blue behind her ear.

"Unless you drag me out I don't go anywhere that's not on the ship. I have a tendency of being a...bookworm." It was true, one part of the house she loved a lot were all the books they had in different rooms. She hoped into the driver's seat, buckled up and left their home, driving down the road to no where.

"But, we haven't really explored much of our own area. I mean, aside from the restaurants. The coastline isn't that far from here, but further ahead is the city and if we drive a bit longer we'll be in the country side."

Wah, later then. Have a good day

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He'd planned on making her an extension to the house to be a personal library but he didn't remember that. He had plans in his brain and even a draft saved on his padd that he hadn't yet searched through.

"Well we could go to a book store or-- hey I remember an old cafe that was held in a musty old bookstore, they keep their money in the books too. It's funny. But maybe for lunch. Okay what about museums, you like those?"

/flops on

[watersacrificed]

The bookstore caught her attention instantly. They hadn't been to one in ages and she didn't recall Jim mentioning that specific one. It would be thrilling to go to back to her roots in a sense. To be back in a place where there was nothing rows and rows of books, parchment and hard covers. Where there were lamps and chairs every other row.

"That sounds fun. We could do that today." As for the museum...

"Yeah, I do. Haven't been to one in a while, but what about an antique store? I know you like collecting unique and interesting things. I think there's one a few miles from here." It would give them a chance to explore something they both enjoyed. A place where they could find anything and possibly everything.

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His eyes lit up. Antiques?

"Yeah, that sounds awesome. Maybe we can find antique books, that's something we'd both like a lot right?" he got into the car eager to get going like a child or better yet, a dog.

"Let's spend money, I love doing that. Then the museum, then lunch in that bookstore and we can read until dinner and then we'll find some place we never went before and eat there. If it sucks we come home and I make dessert and if it's good, well that's self explanatory."

[watersacrificed]

"We can spend money, but not too much." they did have this thing called 'bills' that they had to pay off every month. Much to his disinterest. Better to keep paying said bills unless they wanted to live without electricity and food. But his enthusiasm is great. He's excited thereby getting Aqua excited too.

"But, we have a pack day a head of us. I hope you can keep up." A tease, a playful jab to get him even more riled up. Maybe get him to see how and why he fell in love with her. They drive up the city, passing various streets and shops along the way. In about ten minutes they get to the antique store with the old, hand carved sign out in the front.

"We're here."

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"Phh, lady I was BORN for this. Let's go!" he eagerly dove into the store once they were inside, only to immediately slow down and carefully step around the aged antiques. He respected their age and their history and he was immediately lost to the stories they held. If Aqua wanted any attention at all she'd have to interrupt him.

He finds an old painting called The Singing Butler that he looks at several times as he tours the store.

"I think I like this. Let's get it. We can pretend it's us."

[watersacrificed]

Aqua smiled, trying to resist the urge to yell at Jim to slow down and not hurt himself as he jumped out of the car. No, she couldn't do that. Not when he was having fun and being himself. She followed right behind him, staying quiet and thoughtfully admiring each antique that caught her attention. They were both lost in their own little worlds until he spoke up.

"Oh?" she looked over the painting, taking note of the color and the subject matter. Two people dancing...was he remembering something?

"Why do you want this one? I thought you would've glanced over it."

Aaand my internet dies /drove to mcdonald's in irritation

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"No I like it. It's kind of funny... but romantic too. They're totally spoiled but they're in their own little world too. I like it." he smiled at her. "What do you think?" he wondered if she'd be into it at all. Maybe. Her tone and her face said otherwise...

"Bad idea?"

I'm sorry /hughug

[watersacrificed]

Aqua continued to look over the painting, taking Jim's words into consideration. She was hoping he'd remember something, but nothing. Yes, the painting resembled them greatly. They spoiled each other and remained in their own little world. They always lived in that world since they first laid eyes one each other.

"It romantic..." she mused, looking over at him as a smile came across her face.

"We can take it. It's not a bad idea in the least, just never thought you'd see 'us' in a painting."

Oh well, conveniently located Mickey D's saved it

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"I'm buying it." gingerly he lifted it and brought it to the store owner who rang him up. It wasn't cheap but Jim had plenty of money, he did ever since he took command of Enterprise at least.

"Maybe I do see us in this. Except I don't know about you in a red dress...maybe more like, dark blue, or white. Or purple."

xD /hugs time for bed for me. Nighty

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Aqua didn't disagree with him when he bought the painting. In fact, she was trying to figure out just where in their home they could put it. Maybe not in the living room, but dining room? She'd have to get it home to figure out it's proper place.

"Well, white would be right. It was the color of my wedding gown, but I do wear dark blues if I have a gown. I don't get into them that often." They were too constricting, but according to him she always looked gorgeous in them.

"See anything else you like?"

nighty night

[done_in_3]

He carried the painting with him back to the car and gently laid it in the trunk

"Nah, I'm good. Let's go look at books. I love books." he was having a fine time, a smile on his face. "You seem huge into libraries, is that right? And gowns? Oh like for Starfleet balls, I bet I asked you to be my date. Hey if I asked you to go with me right now would you?" he's joking.

[watersacrificed]

Jim really was a pup, jumping from one thing to the next. Honestly, she couldn't blame him. He could never sit still for long. He'd always been that way on the Enterprise, why would she expect anything less than when he was ashore?

"Mhmm, I practically grew up in a library. That is, I did and still do have a love of books." The written word always captivated her, aiding her in learning spells or taking her mind to far off places.

"Ahh, you never asked me to go until we were engaged. I went to a ball once, as an unexpected visitor, so I didn't know much. The first time we went, I had you go over every single detail with me just to make sure I didn't embarrass either of us."

[done_in_3]

Jim was a perpetual puppy, jumping from one thing to the next. Always adhd, always in need of attention, and always happy to see you. And cute. Very cute.

"Yeah? What was it like? That sounds awesome actually. I read all the time when I was a kid but my town's library was sad." he remembered the sparse number of shelves and even smaller variety in titles. Ugh, horrible.

"Those balls, the first one I went to I was so excited but it turned out to be kind of... boring." he went home with two different women. Awesome three way anyone?

"But they're glitzy, I'll say that. You? Embarrass us? I can't believe you'd do anything like that."

[watersacrificed]

No one would argue with how cute Jim was. Though it wasn't the first thing that drew her to him. His personality and puppy like nature did that. His looks were an added plus.

"It was like heaven. Every book that I could ever think of was right there. I made of goal of trying to read every book before I left home. I didn't manage to make much of a dent." So many books, so little time.

"Mm, I didn't want to do anything that could reflect poorly on you." And she didn't need to know the details of the first ball he went to.

"Now, where is that bookstore? I can drive us there in no time."

[done_in_3]

Aww he'd be flattered, sort of. Maybe...

"Sounds like it. Maybe I can see it sometime?" he had no idea she was from... far away. In a world that sort of no longer existed. At least not as it did before.

"I don't think you would, you're more tactful than I am. I bet you kept me in line. And don't worry about it, the upper admiralty usually make asses of themselves at some point. It's not a party until someone gets called out on the news for something out of line.... ah... about two miles... that way." he read off his phone.