LCDR Demir?

Posted on 08 Feb 2023 @ 13:47 by Lieutenant Isabel Castillo & Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Watts

Episode: E1: A Historic Voyage
Location: XO's Stateroom
Timeline: Date 2025-05-11 at 0000

Liz checked her watch and saw that it was midnight. She stood outside the stateroom the ENG and CHOP shared currently without a third roommate after the COMMO departed. Liz knew that the ENG was preparing for a long day tomorrow as they got underway. At least with the power plant operating the entire time, they were tied up, and without a connection to shore power, they wouldn't have to get an early start in engineering to fire it up.

Let them sleep and explode or slightly disturb Ciara to get Isa out of bed and finally get to tell her the news? Decisions. Elizabeth's mind raced as she stood there looking at the hatch door. Glad that there was nobody there to witness her indecision and probably crazed expression. Fuck it, she was the XO, she knocked on the hatch and then entered.

"Isa..." she said, quietly, as she approached the racks and reached into the top bunk to shake her. She could hear stirring from the middle rack where the most senior of the two officers assigned to this stateroom would be asleep or at least trying to. "Isa," she whispered again, shaking her gently.

Isa was fast asleep and then... was not. It hadn't, however, been her alarm that woke her. Hitting the small reading light in her bunk she spotted the shift of her curtain as a hand drew back. "Que mierda?" she murmured, realizing a moment later that there were no blaring alarms or indications of a drill. Rubbing her eyes with one hand she drew back the curtain to look for the hand's owner. "XO?" she asked, swinging her legs around to drop down to the floor so she could get dressed.

"Come to my room?" she asked, her tone making it obvious that was a request, not a command.

Despite her confusion Isa nodded them added, "Ok," in a quiet voice. She dressed quickly, pulling on her coveralls just in case, before making her way to the XO's stateroom.

Liz departed quickly, not wanting to disturb the ENG more than she'd likely already had. She waited inside the hatch of her quarters, and when Isa entered, she closed it and dogged it shut behind her. She motioned Isa to sit down frantically, careful not to show her the hand where her no ring resided.

Isa did as she requested, but the confusion on her face was unmissable. "What is going on, Liz?" She asked, suspicion in her voice.

With what could only be described as an uncharacteristic squeal of excitement, she displayed her hand for her best friend to see.

Confusion gave way to astonishment and then to excitement as Isa took in the ring that on her friend's left ring finger. In the light of the room the diamond and its twin sapphires winked and shone. "Oh my God, Liz!" She exclaimed, her enthusiasm for the news coming through in every word. She reached out, pulling her friend's hand closer so she could examine the ring. "This is why Jon was here," she stated, not bothering to get confirmation. "Tell me everything."

Liz giggled, also not something she'd normally do, "well he took me to this romantic place in central park. He gave me the ring and asked me to marry him?" she said. The answer was very much like Liz, she wasn't really sure how to describe all what happened than other to state the facts of the matter.

The CHOP's chuckle matched the XO's giggle as Isa shook her head, grinning even wider. "And was he nervous? Did he mess up any of the words? Was he on one knee? What about afterward? Did you say yes right away? When did he get that ring? Do the sapphires mean something?" Isa rattled off a whole list of questions, eyes gleaming, but she didn't give Liz a chance to answer. "I'm so happy for you Liz."

"We were both nervous, I mean... I could see he was but when I figured out what was happening I was too. He almost got on his knee, but, it didn't go quite as he planned, I don't think. Nerves and my answer,” she shrugged.

“He got the ring the first time he proposed to me," she sighed, looking at the ring herself again before putting her hand back down along her side. "The sapphires are because of the Navy and apparently how it's important to our relationship. I've always kind of had mixed feelings about his reasoning... honestly... but it's beautiful either way. I do love it."

Isa's eyes followed Liz's hand, mulling what she had said for just a moment before commenting. "What do you mean the first time he proposed?"

"He proposed to me years ago, but I turned him down," Liz said. "I thought you knew about that..." she moved to her rack and sat down. "History."

Once Liz was settled, Isa grabbed the open chair and turned it so it was facing Liz's rack. With an economy of movement that gave away the few weeks she'd been on the submarine and had begun to get used to the smaller space she slide into the seat and leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees. "I didn't know that, no." She responded almost apologetically. "But it makes sense given what you've shared with me." For a moment she considered asking more, but then she wasn't sure this was a good moment to dig up old memories like this.

"I know it's still early, but did you guys talk about when you want to get married?" The CHOP's mind flashed to their more recent readiness status and the news she'd caught up on while they were in port. There was no guarantee of when they might be home for any length of time. It could be business as usual, but then again...

"I wouldn't say we discussed it," Liz said, with a sigh. "But I don't think we're doing anything particularly special. I kind of left it up to Jon to figure out while he's waiting for us to get back. I mean, it's not like we've ever been in a rush." Though Liz looked like she regretted that statement, "I guess... suddenly I feel in a rush."

Isa was quiet for a moment, studying her friend as she spoke. She understood the suddenly in a rush feeling even if she and Liam's relationship barely had a modicum of the history that Liz and Jon had. "And you can't do anything but wait while you're on board," she finally commented, understanding in her tone. Then, with a grin slowly spreading across her face, she said, "We need to celebrate."

"Maybe when we're back home," she sighed. "I have a lot to do to prepare us for the canal transit. But I promise we can and you can introduce Jon and I to this Liam guy" she smirked.

For a moment it looked liked Isa might protest, but rather than register insistence that the two of them find some way to celebrate before they get home she let it go. Instead her grin brightened further and her expression took on an almost shy enthusiasm. "I can't wait."