As had become customary, the smell of morning coffee brought the crew to the galley. Mike was pleasantly surprised when Theresa offered to help him cook pancakes in the cooking area. They made the batter quietly, but there was a physical attraction between them that was palpable. They quietly flirted as they cooked.
“Better take breakfast orders,” he said. She smiled and licked the batter off her finger, then squealed when Mike grabbed her hand and finished sucking off what was left on her finger. “Hurry before I bite it off,” he said quietly.
Theresa returned a moment later and told him how many pancakes and eggs to make. Everyone was seated for breakfast except Ted, who, according to Tony, said he was planning on sleeping in.
“Good, I was gonna spit in his anyway,” said Mike.
Theresa put her hands on her hips. “God, Mike. I was enjoying cooking with you. Now you can do it yourself.” She stormed out to sit with the other crew.
“Whatever,” he muttered.
When he walked out with some plates of food, Tony and Jessica hopped up to help serve. Mike sat at the opposite end of the table from Theresa, and it was obvious something was up, but no one spoke.
“Another great breakfast,” said Tony after he had finished, patting his belly. “Thanks, bro.”
“Open twenty-four hours, but no drive-through,” said Mike. Everyone helped clean up, except Theresa who had walked down to the lab.
“What’s up with her?” whispered Tony to Mike as she walked out.
“Who knows? Women. Maybe she can’t decide if she likes Ted or me better.”
“She gotta choose?” asked Tony.
“Oh shit, man—not you, too . . .”
“No, man, not like that. You know I don’t trust Ted either. But maybe you should just lay off him in front of her, know what I mean?”
“I would, except that guy’s a fuckin’ asshole,” said Mike.
“You should tell me how you really feel,” said Tony.
When breakfast was over, Mike reluctantly joined Theresa in the lab while Tony, Jessica, and Jim went to the bridge to run a hull analysis through the MC.
When Mike walked in, Theresa was sitting by the monitor looking at the black smoker through the infrared camera. She heard him walk in and said, “He’s gone.”
“Ian?”
“Yeah. Current must have carried him off. I guess it’s just as well. It was hard seeing him like that.”
Mike nodded. “Yeah. Poor guy. Rest in peace, brother.” He sat in his chair. “You scanned around for him?”
“No,” she answered. “Guess I was afraid I’d find him.”
“Okay—do your thing and I’ll take a quick look around. I’m with you, though—it’s just as well. Ted been down here?”
“No, I guess he slept in. I didn’t mean to bite your head off before, Mike, but I’m really sick of the bullshit. You gotta stop.”
Mike scanned the sides of the black smoker looking for Ian, but listening to Theresa. He didn’t speak.
“You hear me? I like you. Don’t fuck up our relationship over Ted.”
Mike stopped looking and turned around in his chair. “We have a relationship?”
Theresa’s face turned bright red. “I, uh, never mind—I just . . .” She felt humiliated.
“No—say it. What?”
“Nothing, Mike. Forget it.” She buried her face in her microscope and jumped when Mike’s hand touched her shoulder.
“Tell me. What relationship? Something I should know?”
She wouldn’t look up at him. Her face was still red and hot.
Mike squeezed her shoulders very gently. “Before, in the galley. I thought maybe you were gonna let me kiss you there for a second.”
“Oh yeah, sure. Just the six of us standing around in the galley. That would have been smart.”
Mike smiled a little. “So you’re saying that if no one else was around, maybe you would have let me?”
“Before or after you pissed me off?” she said and looked up from her microscope, then around over her shoulder at Mike.
“That would be before. I’m trying, Theresa. Seriously. I’m trying. We’re like oil and water, Ted and me. I’m doing the best I can. Ian was my best friend on this ship, other than you. Ted’s more excited about his fucking experiments than he cares about Ian being dead.”
Theresa rested her face on her hand, her elbow on the counter. “It’s not like that, Mike. Let’s just leave it, okay? I like you. But if you keep up the war with Ted, it’s gonna make our time together really strained.” She looked up at him. “Please? For me?”
Mike looked down at her and faked a smile. “I’m trying.” He patted her shoulders, contemplated a kiss, but walked back to his chair and started scanning for Ian’s body again. They worked in silence for almost five minutes, until Theresa couldn’t take it anymore.
“You just gonna work over there or are you gonna come over here and try and kiss me?” she asked.
Mike turned to her, surprised. “I’m playin’ hard to get,” he said. “Besides, we have that sexual harassment policy and all.”
“I thought you refused to sign it without your lawyer?”
Mike stood up and walked back to her. “That’s true. I forgot about that.” He leaned over and kissed her for a long moment—a very nice kiss. Theresa smiled at him. “That’s so much better,” she said quietly.
“I agree,” said Mike, and he returned to his chair only a moment before Ted entered the lab, changing the chemistry in the room instantly.
They exchanged quiet good mornings, and Ted pulled some petri dishes out of the refrigerator. Theresa spoke up. “Ian’s gone, Ted.”
“Oh? You scanned around the bottom of the smoker? Maybe he dislodged and sank?”
“I looked. He’s gone,” said Mike, quietly happy that his friend was no longer a subject of scientific interest by Ted. “Current, predators, whatever. It’s over.” He looked over at Theresa and stopped speaking. He would really try to behave.
“I’m finished with the anglerfish dissection,” announced Mike. “I’m going to go fishing again.”
“Good luck,” said Theresa. Ted also added polite well wishes.
Mike pulled the bluefish from one of the large freezers and baited up several large hooks, which he secured with wire to account for the bait cooking in the hot water near the vent. He rigged up ACD 2 and flooded the tube, very conscious of the fact that the last time the tube had been used, it was to jettison his friend Ian.