Laura Thompson's POV (Present Year: 2023)

The noise surrounding me is deafening.

Who knew this many people could be so loud!

From the corner of my eye, I watch as my Partner smiles and waves to the crowd in front of us, trying to come up with a way to quiet everyone down.

"Usually, I have a microphone," He jokes, glancing down at me before quickly refocusing on the numerous people in front of us.

How are we gonna actually get anywhere if these Reporters won't just shut up?

"Alright!" Elon starts, voice somehow loud enough to rise over the clamor. "I'm sure you all have many questions, and we'll try and answer them as best we can!"

He addressed us as 'we...'

A smile tugs at my lips, my worry momentarily ebbing away.

Almost as if someone had dropped a heavy blanket over the audience, people begin to quiet down, their attention solely focused on the man beside me and my own rather shaky form.

A few gazes wander over me, some of their gazes stern and disapproving while others are soft and accepting.

I can't help but stick my hands in the main pockets of my Flightsuit and twiddle my thumbs, anxiety creeping it's way into my thoughts yet again.

These people have seen the photos.

They've seen Elon and I together.

They know we're a couple, regardless of what we tell them.

Biting my lip, I do a quick glance in my Partner's direction, reading his expression.

His eyes are wandering over the crowd, a small grin on his features as he motions to the Reporter nearest to us.

Let's start with you," Elon nods, his gaze fixed on the rather old looking woman, who now has her notebook and pen out, ready to take some serious notes.

She smiles slightly, nodding towards both of us before she speaks.

"Anyone who has been following your activity lately, Elon, knows that you yourself haven't been very active on Twitter, as per usual," The woman begins, her gaze wandering quickly over to me before focusing once more on my Partner. "However, yesterday, a couple've images were posted online of you and the woman who stands beside you currently. So, my question is, why are you at Johnson Space Center and could you elaborate a bit more on just who exactly is beside you? Thanks."

My head spins.

We're going to have to explain everything from square one!

From the 'URGENT. DO NOT DISCLOSE THIS INFORMATION' email to our current scenario.

This could take a while.

A pang of guilt pulses through me as I hear Elon chuckle lightly from beside me.

"Ah yes, those pictures," He laughs, shaking his head before continuing. "You see, the reasoning behind why I'm currently at JSC, decked out in this bright blue NASA jumpsuit is really quite a long story. After we sent our un-manned supply ship to Mars back in 2022, many things at SpaceX went downhill quite quickly."

He pauses, regaining his train of thought before continuing, while the Reporter who had asked the question begins scribbling away.

"I was presented with an issue that no one saw coming - well, two issues, actually, but that's besides the point here,"

I can't help but laugh lightly, as do a few people in the crowd.

"Money was running low and we didn't have a Crew for the Mars 2024 mission. But, we managed to pull together a few eager folks to set off on this venture."

Another pause.

This time though, Elon gestures to my rather awkward form beside him with a grin on his features.

Panic runs through me.

I thought you said you wouldn't drag me into any of this!

Well, I did agree to come out and face these people alongside him, so...

"This is Laura Thompson, former Starship Avionics Supervisor, now Mission Specialist and Pilot."

All I can do is smile and wave, hoping I don't look like a complete moron.

"Hi," I manage to greet, my voice cracking slightly as I mentally cringe.

Why am I so freaking nervous?!

These people just want answers!

It's not like they're a threat!

"To sum things up, myself and three other enthusiastic SpaceX employees are here to well, train as Astronauts, quite frankly." Elon concludes as the Media erupts into yet another fit of noise.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why are you going?"

"How'd you find her?"

"How will you complete Starship with such limited funds?"

"N-Next question, please!" I holler, my shaky and rather lame sounding voice somehow rising above the clamor, as I begin to fidget with a loose thread on the inside of my pocket, palms sweaty.

Whether from the heat of the Texas sunshine or my nerves, it's hard to tell.

Once more, the people in front of us settle down again.

"Yes?" I muse, making eye contact with yet another older Reporter, who frowns slightly, gaze turning from me, towards the man standing beside me.

"Elon, we all know your history with any type of relationship," The man starts as I tense, sensing my boyfriend's sudden shift in attitude. "The pair of you are clearly hand-in-hand in both images, and from an outside standpoint, that makes it seem like you may have once again found another woman to be in close relations with. Any words on this?"

"I... We..." Elon stammers, his thoughts likely racing a mile a minute, struggling to string together a believable sentence. "Laura and I are simply Partners. We've been working quite closely in various Flight and Surface simulations, as we will be working together for the duration of the Mission."

The air goes slack, skepticism rising among the crowd before us as the man who'd asked the question raises an eyebrow questioningly.

They're not buying it.

Of course they're not buying it.

But, it's the only answer they're getting for now.

Clenching my fists inside my pockets, I step forward slightly, a sudden surge of... confidence washing over me?

"It is paramount that both Elon and I work as closely as we do, because in Space, if you mess up, there's no forgiveness," I start, pushing aside my nerves and resisting the urge to grasp my Partner's hand, which is idly by his side. "We have to be able to read each other, know what the other is going to do before they even do it. Know how we both react... It's just another part of our Training that is absolutely essential."

Once again, the people in front of us begin their rowdiness, which, to my ears, sounds almost angry?

Why are they angry?

We gave them answers!

Not the answers they wanted to hear, apparently.

"We've got to be going," Elon raises his voice over the noise, gently placing a hand on my shoulder as he guides me back into the safety of the office, leaving the nosy Journalists behind.

Once on the opposite side of the glass, the uproar instantly becomes muffled, allowing me to sort out my thoughts.

"What the heck just happened?" I muse aloud as the pair of us continue deeper into the small building, finding a secluded, windowless room with some chairs tossed haphazardly into the area.

At this, the man behind me just chuckles.

"Honestly," He hums while we both straighten a chair for ourselves before taking a seat. "I have no idea."

Turning in my seat to face my Partner, I frown.

"They sounded angry," I muse aloud, fingers drumming against the armrest. "But it's not like they have a reason to be."

"They don't have the whole story," Elon nods slowly, seemingly lost in thought as his gaze meets mine. "They'll be irritated until they manage to get their hands on it."

Now it's my turn to nod as I sigh.

"How did everything become so complicated all of a sudden?"

I wave of uncertainty crashes over me, beginning to drag me down, my gaze lowering from his towards the mix-matched tiles beneath us.

"Hey, hey, hey," My boyfriend whispers from beside me, accent sounding slightly thicker than usual as I feel his hand gently slide under my chin, raising my lowered head. "You'll be fine. We'll be fine. We're in this together, right?"

"R-Right," I stammer, my doubt slowly fading from me as I get lost in my Partner's warm gaze.

He smiles slightly, hand moving from my chin to my own hand resting against the armrest, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Now that's settled, why don't we head back to our Quarters? See what the others are doing?"

I nod ever so slightly as Elon grasps my hand in his and we leave the small room behind, saying goodbye to the Secretarial staff as we do so.

It's a quiet walk back through the Complex towards the Crew Quarter's building, the only sounds keeping us company are the sounds of people leaving for the day, as well as our synced up booted footsteps hitting against the pavement beneath us.

However, my head is quite loud, as per usual.

My thoughts are a jumble of things, but they continually loop back to one uncomfortable feeling of unease.

I've got to deal with Jessica before someone else gets hurt.

Or worse, she somehow manages to sabotage the entire Launch.

I shake my head, vainly attempting to gain a clearer idea of what to do.

I can't use my NBL accident against her...

I don't have any solid evidence to prove she's guilty for that one.

But there is the threat she made back at the Lab with Vivian...

And now this one against Elon, that's literally in writing on Twitter...

"Elon," I start, a sudden urgency in my tone as I stop in my tracks, as does he.

"Hm?"

I hastily go to glance at my watch, only to realize there's nothing on my wrist.

"What time is it?" I question, watching as the man in front of me pulls out his phone, passing me a rather questioning look.

"You got somewhere to be or something?" He jokes before answering my question. "It's just 5:14 now."

"Okay..." I trail off, retreating into my thoughts.

People are usually gone by six thirty... We've got time to go to find someone from Employment.

"Let's go find the head of Employment," I state, a grin of determination settling across my features.

Elon's eyes widen in surprise as a understanding smirk falls upon his features.

"Alright, I guess we've got time for a detour."

Both of us resume our strides, our cadences syncing as I silently grasp his hand in mine.

I don't even need to glance his way to know he's smiling.

I can just feel it.

And it's contagious.

"How exactly do you plan on approaching this?" He hums as we round the side of the NBL building and continue onward towards the center offices, a light breeze rushing by us.

"I'm sure we can just file some complaints and mark them as urgent," I explain, brushing a stray strand of hair out of my face.

Elon shrugs.

"We could do that, but wouldn't it be quicker to just talk to someone directly?"

"Probably, but I doubt they'll be easy to find," I muse aloud as we near the building, hand quickly returning to my own side.

"It'll be worth asking," He nods, grabbing the door for me and silently ushering me inside.

This building is likely the second largest at the Complex.

It houses a wide array of offices, Mission Control and likely numerous other things.

"Ah! Hello, you two!" A familiarly bubbly voice sounds from across the fairly large foyer we're standing in.

Both of us turn to face the source of the voice, realization falling over me as it's owner comes into view.

"Mary!" I exclaim, rushing towards the desk she's seated behind, a smile on my lips.

Seeing this, she quickly leaves the desk behind as I tackle her in a gentle yet tight hug upon reaching the older woman.

"What brings you two here?" She hums as I step away from her and instinctively fall back beside Elon, who tosses Mary a smile.

"Well, we're hoping to find someone we could chat with about an employee who's been..." He trails off, looking for the right word.

"A nuisance," I finish for him, nodding to the older woman in front of us, who still has a grin plastered across her features.

"So you'd like to file some complaints," She nods, heading back behind the desk and beginning to rifle through the various drawers.

"Actually, I'd much prefer if we chatted with someone who could take immediate action," My Partner explains, glancing my way almost as if he's looking for confirmation.

I simply nod in agreeance.

"They're being that much of a bother, hun?" Our older friend huffs, eyeing Elon and I over carefully, a smirk tugging at her lips. "I'll be right back."

And as she disappears once more behind the desk, I could've sworn I heard her mutter;

"Those two are so damn adorable together!"

I can't help but blush, drifting closer to the man beside me.

"I hope this sorts things out," I murmur, looking up at my boyfriend, who apparently, was already looking down at me.

The burn in my cheeks become even warmer.

"It will," He smiles, a glimmer of reassurance shining in his eyes.

I hope you're right...

Time seems to crawl as we wait in the foyer, wandering around and admiring the various pictures and memorabilia decorating the walls, as per JSC style.

Images from the Apollo program, the Shuttle program...

Worn out Mission Patches and pieces of uniform...

Speaking of Mission Patches...

"Hey, E!" I call from where I'm standing, opposite to my Partner.

I watch as he quickly turns on his heel and makes his way over to me, his trademark smirk falling ever so perfectly on his features.

"Yes, Love?" He whispers, brushing my arm slightly as he comes to a halt beside me, examining the framed object.

"This is the Apollo 11 Mission Patch," I explain, excitement laced in my tone as the man beside me rolls his eyes, elbowing me playfully.

"I can read just fine, you know," He teases, before urging me to continue.

"Seeing this just made me wonder about our Mission Patch," I hum, confusion crawling across my headspace. "What's our Mission even titled?"

My Partner nods slowly, once more appearing to be lost in thought.

"You know, that's a great question," He laughs before meeting my gaze. "I guess the NASA folks will tell us eventually."

A comfortable silence falls between us as we continue our wandering, the sound of our heavy footsteps the only sound filling the foyer.

I wonder what's taking Mary so long...

I'm sure glad she was here, though.

If she hadn't been here...

E and I would likely be on a wild goose chase right now.

"Elon, Laura," Mary's older sounding feminine voice fills the space, startling me slightly. "This is Mr. Murphy, Head of Employment here at JSC."

Turning to face the source of the voice, I nod in their direction as I make my way closer to them, the sound of Elon's rapid footsteps following close behind me.

"Nice to meet you," I smile, extending my hand towards the older gentleman beside Mary, his expression unchanging as we shake hands firmly.

Huh. Not as chipper as everyone else around here.

Strange.

"Elon Musk," Mr. Murphy nods stiffly as both men shake hands. "A pleasure to meet you at last."

"The pleasure is all mine," Elon smiles slightly, stepping back to his spot at my side.

"I better be going," Mary smiles, excusing herself quietly. "Paperwork doesn't sort itself, ya know."

Then, before either of us can say a word of thanks, the woman who had ushered our jet-lagged Crew into her 'top secret entrance' at the back of the Crew Quarters is gone, leaving the pair of us with the rather cold demeanored man in front of us.

"I hear you two work quite well together," The Head of Employment states as we begin to follow him deeper into the building, leaving the foyer behind.

"We do get that quite often," My Partner replies, a hint of humor in his tone as he casts me a sideways glance full of concern.

'I'm fine,' I smile, mouthing the words followed by a short nod.

I'm just gonna let you do the talking, E.

"That's great to hear, especially when you'll be stuck together for essentially a year and a half," Mr. Murphy chuckles, tossing us a smirk over his shoulder as he stops outside a door, unlocking it with his ID badge before ushering us inside.

It's a plain office.

Two chairs in front of the desk, one chair behind the desk.

I stifle a laugh.

Reminds me of when we had to do all that signing back in E's office!

"Is everything all right, Ms. Thompson?" The stern man behind the desk inquires as Elon and I quickly take our seats.

"Hm?" I muse before realization falls over me.

I guess I am grinning like a moron for no reason at all.

"Oh, yes. Of course."

Mr. Murphy only nods, an expression of skepticism on his features before he turns serious once more.

"Mary informed me that an employee here at JSC has been a bit of a bother for the pair of you as of late. Care to elaborate?"

Elon glances at me once more, seeming to be trying to read me.

Our gazes meet, and within them, I urge him to do the talking.

'I'll butt in when necessary.'

My Partner nods, refocusing on the Head of Employment in front of us.

"The employee is Jessica Morrison, Geologist and Communications Lead. Also another one of my Crew member's Instructor. She openly threatened me via Twitter just the other day," My boyfriend explains, sliding his phone from his pocket and cuing up Jessica's original post before handing it to the older man.

Murphy takes the device, taking the glasses from around his neck and setting them on the bridge of his nose, squinting at the screen.

"Ah yes, I see," He murmurs, handing the phone back to it's owner before letting his spectacles dangle around his neck once more. "That is definitely a breach of confidentiality here at NASA, as I'm sure it would be at SpaceX."

I nod, mentally celebrating.

I was right!

Threatening to spill slightly classified information to the world?

Yeah, better luck next time, 'JessMore!'

"Any other incidents you'd like to make known?" Mr. Murphy hums, jotting down some notes on a Sticky Note and placing them on the screen of his desktop.

"Uh, yes, actually," I begin, clearing my throat rather awkwardly as the man behind the desk spins in his chair to face me.

"Go on."

"Jessica and I got into an argument over who should hold the role of Command on our Mission," I explain, glancing over at Elon every now and again.

His gaze his fixated on me, listening intently.

"She argued - quite aggressively, mind you - that I should be Commander of the Mission. I disagreed heavily and eventually, she ended up cornering me so my back was pressed up against one of the tables in the Lab we were in. Then she muttered some crazy threat before backing away."

"Which was?" Murphy asks once more, his scribbling only ceasing momentarily.

"You're running out of time, Thompson... Better make every second you have, count." I quote off Jessica's words, her eerily amused tone of voice echoing across my thoughts, sending a shiver dancing down my spine.

At this, the older man in front of us frowns.

"That's such a vague threat," He hums lowly, noting my words down and plastering the Sticky Note along with the other one.

"That's what I've been saying all along," I nod in agreeance. "It makes no sense! Though I'm not entirely sure she's all with it mentally, if you know what I mean."

"What makes you say that?" Elon muses aloud from beside me, confusion evident in his tone.

"Remember after the incident in the NBL, I told you she had stuck around, almost as if she was just waiting to see what went on?"

My Partner nods silently, his expression stern.

"Well, I think she just couldn't leave. Her conscious just wouldn't let her," I explain, my mind beginning to put a reasonable solution together. "Let's assume she was the reason I nearly died. Either her thoughts were nagging at her to stay and see if I surfaced dead, or to see if I was alive. I think she's having a major mental battle... Almost as if she has a literal angel and a devil sitting on her shoulder, muddling with her intentions."

The man behind the desk seems taken aback.

"I-I mean," He stammers before managing to put a sentence together. "It's definitely possible. But, nonetheless, mental conflict or not, Jessica Morrison seems to be one to act on her threats."

"Agreed," I reply neutrally, a sudden pang of guilt pulsing through me.

I likely just made her lose her job completely.

"What you two have informed me of is enough to have Ms. Morrison fired, or at least on a very lengthy leave," Mr. Murphy explains, getting up out of his seat and making his way to the door. "I will be sure to inform you both of the action we will be taking to prevent anything else from occurring."

"Thank you," Elon smiles, shaking the older gentleman's hand firmly once more before grasping the door handle and turning to leave.

"Yes, thank you for listening, Sir," I nod, also shaking Murphy's hand firmly. "But please, do let me know when you'll be taking any action, I'd like to be certain in this particular matter."

He nods understandingly.

"Will do, Ms. Thompson," He replies, cracking a small smile as My Partner opens the door and steps into the hallway. "Have a great evening, you two."

"You as well."

And with that, I silently link arms with the man beside me as we leave the offices behind, our heavy footsteps the only sound echoing in the now dimly lit foyer.

"Well, hopefully that all plays out okay," I sigh heavily as Elon and I make our way into the cooler evening air of Houston, Texas.

"It will," He assures, the orange hued sky shimmering in his gaze as I look up at him, smiling slightly.

I sure hope you're right, Elon.

I really do.

****

"Hah! Pick up four and I change it to yellow!" An over-enthusiastic Mark Myers exclaims from beside me, placing his change-a-color UNO card down with a loud slap against the coffee table we're all huddled around in the Living Room.

I groan, glancing at the few cards in my hands.

Not a single yellow.

The younger man beside me snickers.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Lau! You've gotta be able to have a yellow out of the four you've gotta pick up, right?"

I roll my eyes with a huff as I pick up the four cards from the top of the pile, adding them to my collection.

Nope.

Not a single yellow card or a change-a-color.

"UNO," Elon exclaims softly from beside me, placing a yellow two on top of the pile.

"Ahah! Too bad, so sad!" Vivi cheers as she slams her own yellow miss-your-turn card on the top of the stack, getting up off the floor and dancing around like a madwoman. "UNO out! Good game guys!"

I sigh, tossing my numerous cards onto the table in front of us.

"Yeah, sure, was a great game for everyone else, except the person with the entire deck in their hands!" I joke, piling up the cards and shoving them back into their designated Ziploc bag.

"I'm telling you guys," Mark bubbles, taking the bag from me and putting it away in one of the cupboards by the TV. "I'm liking the sound of a 7 month long tournament of various games."

Vivian just laughs, shaking her head.

"I think we'll need a few more games than what we have here to actually keep ourselves occupied for that long."

"True enough," Mark replies, grabbing the TV remote and flopping down on the couch behind me. "Anyone up for a movie?"

"I don't think so," I yawn, making my way to my feet and heading towards the exit of the Common Area. "I'm pretty tired after training in the VR sim today. That stuff if trippy."

"You can say that again," My boyfriend chuckles, rounding the backside of the couch and stopping by my side. "Have a good night, everyone."

"You too," Vivian replies, a tone of humor in her voice as she plops down in the armchair beside the couch, focused on whatever movie Mark is attempting to cue up.

I cast a sideways glance up at Elon, who simply smirks at me, gently setting a hand on my shoulder, guiding me out of the Common Area and down the hall towards our rooms.

"Some day, huh?" He hums, our footsteps synchronizing as we near the section of four doors.

"Sure was," I yawn once more, fatigue cascading over me like a tidal wave, my entire body suddenly feeling as if it's made from cinder blocks.

"Someone's tired," He teases, elbowing me playfully.

I elbow him back, though my attempt is quickly thwarted as he swiftly rounds the opposite side of me, coming to a halt outside a door.

"So what if I am," I protest, my words beginning to slur together slightly as I watch through heavy eyelids, an ID badge being held up to the door.

Seconds later, the door is opened and I practically stumble inside and collapse into the Office Chair.

"You realize this isn't your room, right?" Elon hums, kicking off his shoes and sauntering towards me, an amused grin plastered to his features.

"What do you mean?" I yawn before I allow my heavy gaze to slowly travel around the room.

Indeed, the room I'm in isn't mine.

The bathroom and window are on the opposite side to what my room should be, and the air in here smells... different?

"Oh," I murmur, gaze instantly falling to the floor as embarrassment floods me.

Well this is awkward.

"Well, I guess I'll be going then."

However, before I can force myself out of the chair I'm sitting in, a gentle hand on my shoulder stops me.

"You don't have to. I don't mind," He states, a genuine look falling across his face. "I promise you nothing of what you're afraid of will happen."

My thoughts are slow to respond.

It's not like it'd be that strange.

We are dating.

And by now, I think I know him well enough to know he'll keep his word.

"Oh, okay," I reply, a fatigued smile tugging at my lips. "I'm trusting you, Elon."

At this, the man in front of me nods, still smiling softly.

"I know you are. And I promise you, I won't be breaking that trust."

Rather abruptly, he leaves my side, heading towards the bathroom, grabbing a few articles of clothing on his way past.

"Where are you goooing?" I whine, watching as he turns to face me with yet another grin.

"Just to clean up, Love," He explains, voice soft. "Feel free to make yourself at home, okay?"

I nod slowly, my thoughts lagging behind as the door shuts behind him, leaving me in dim darkness.

"M'kay," I hum, pulling myself out of the chair, kicking off my own footwear before heading towards the neatly made bed.

Shrugging to myself, I flop down on the soft mattress and grab the TV remote, flicking it on and finding some random channel to watch as my thoughts begin to slowly meander across my headspace.

I'm in Elon's room...

Completely exhausted...

Watching TV and laying in his bed...

A blush begins to creep it's way onto my cheeks, but I shove it down, too tired to deal with any emotions.

As time wears on, the sound of whatever TV program I managed to find as well as the distant sound of running water from the bathroom begin to lull me to sleep.

My eyes begin to close my themselves as my thoughts really begin to slow.

I'll be fine falling asleep here.

Nothing's gonna happen.

Sighing contentedly, I sink back into the pillows, trying to get comfortable.

But, just as I'm about to completely fade away into the depths of sleep, the harsh light from the bathroom stirs me awake ever so slightly.

Squinting at the sudden change in brightness, I vaguely make out Elon's tall form approaching me cautiously, almost as if I were some sort of frightened animal.

From what I can tell, he's wearing a plain black t-shirt and matching joggers, which surprises me slightly.

This is the soft side of Elon.

The side that only very few ever get to see.

Groggily, I sit up ever so slightly which causes the man approaching me to jump back in shock, cursing under his breath before nearing me once more.

"Come on, Love," He urges softly, gently prodding my arm in a vain attempt to wake me further. "We can't have you fall asleep in your clothes again."

"My stuff is too far," I grumble, trying to get away from his poking by sliding down the mattress. "And I'm comfy here..."

The poking and prodding stops as my boyfriend lets out a breathy chuckle.

"I knew this is what would happen," He mumbles before the sound of his footsteps retreating fills my ears, accompanied by the sound of a closet door being opened.

Confused, I raise my head, squinting once more at the harsh light, trying to make out what exactly the man on the other side of the room is doing.

"Here," His voice echoes, followed by two pieces of clothing falling next to me suddenly, catching me off guard.

Slightly more awake now, I pick up the two items, examining them closely as a burst of happiness rushes through me.

He just threw me a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt!

Practically wide awake now, I half stumble, half run to the bathroom, quickly shutting the door behind me and shedding my Flightsuit.

With delayed and rather stiff movements, I somehow manage to slip into the two articles of massively oversized clothing, a smile on my lips.

They're so flappy!

And;

I lift the oversized sleeve of the shirt to my nose, a rush of embarrassment chorusing through me as I breathe in in the scent.

They smell like him.

Yawning once again, I flick off the light in the bathroom before stumbling towards the bed, clambering in beside my boyfriend.

"These are mine now," I laugh, which actually ends up sounding more like a yawn as I snuggle closer to his chest, my head finding a resting spot in the crook of his neck.

"They are not!" Elon argues, humor evident in his tone as I feel a hand begin to softly stoke my hair. "Fine, fine. You can keep them."

"I wasn't gonna give them back anyways," I mumble, my eyelids quickly becoming heavy once again as I feel the hands of sleep begin to grab at me.

"I love you," I hear him murmur, his accent sounding thicker than normal, which, it likely is.

"I love you, too."