Log Entry 140720.108

My first shift back involved shifting the mountain of administration that had accumulated while I was on Risa. Not that I could clear it all in one shift, but I could organise it into projects and then tackle each one in turn. Overall, it was a very productive day but while normally, I would have been happy to stay on and do a bit more, I had more pressing matters to attend to: studying.
Al and I were both finishing our shifts at the same time, so we arranged to meet and study together at my place. Indeed, I had only been home fifteen minutes when the door chimed. I bid her to enter and she bundled in through the door with an armful of study material. We had a number of courses in common or that crossed over, but more than anything we were hoping that if we worked in the same room, it would focus our attention onto studying, and it worked.
While Al organised our work area on the desk in the middle of the room, I prepared a quick, easy meal via the replicator. Nothing too complicated and something we could munch on as we worked. We were soon sitting down on opposite sides of the table, knuckling under. We worked in silence most of the time, only lifting our heads to pick each other's brains or swap ideas.
At one point, the door chimed. We looked up and our eyes met for a moment. The unspoken communication made, we ignored it and returned to our books.
An hour later and the door chimed again. This time we didn't even look up, but a few moments later, it sounded again ... and again ... and again.
We tutted in unison knowing we'd have to answer it. I sighed heavily as I got up and opened the door to Rutter.
"Everything okay?" he asked, swanning into the room, his eyes scanning for anomalies.
"Yes. Just studying."
"I assume you don't have a problem with that?" added Al, an air of sarcasm in her voice.
"No problem at all. Just wondered where you were," and he picked up one of my datapads. His eyes narrowed as he looked at it. He frowned.
"Um, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the introduction to Klingon physiology at the beginning of the xenobiology course?"
I snatched the datapad from him.
"And?"
His eyes wandered over to Al who refused to look up at him.
"Okay ... so just how far behind are you two?"
"What concern is it of yours?" asked Al, deigning to look up from her work.
Rutter grabbed the back of her chair and swung it round to make her face him. He bent down to look her square in the eye for added effect.
"Your failures are my failures, remember!" he said sternly into her face. "So it's very much my concern!"
I was amazed. A year ago, this type of situation could easily have turned into another brawl between the two of them. As it was, this was a Starfleet officer talking to a junior member. He really had grown up in the last year.
So had Al. She took a deep breath, a habit she had taken to when controlling her Klingon temper. She cleared her throat before she spoke.
"In all honesty?" she asked. He didn't respond. She continued. "Not a lot. We were a bit busy saving a planet."
Rutter straightened up and addressed me.
"And you?"
"Pretty much the same boat," I confessed, looking somewhat shamefaced.
"And how long have you got before you return to the Academy?"
"Three weeks," we chorused.
Rutter rolled his eyes before dropping his head into his hands.
"Brilliant!" he exclaimed softly and left us.
We looked at each other for a moment, but there was nothing to say, so we buried our heads back into our work.

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