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Elizabeth didn't like bars. She didn't drink and she didn't approve of others drinking. It was a vile, dangerous habit that led to nothing but heartache. She especially didn't like taking Anne into a bar, even one as clean and well lit as Ten Forward. The baby was too young to internalize bad examples, but Elizabeth worried nonetheless. Her experiences had her convinced that all men had a secret monster inside their heart that only needed an excuse to come out. It was certainly true for her.

Whether she liked the idea of spending time a bar or not, her other options for gathering information and socializing were limited. There would apparently be some kind of medical examination in the future, but she wasn't ready for all that yet. The choice between a cold examination room and a room full of people was a hard one for her, but in the end she decided she was better able to relax around people.

The baby fussed in her sling while Elizabeth contemplated the replicator. She hummed softly to Anne, her left arm wrapped protectively around the baby's head and body. The noise was probably distressing her, along with the lack of motion. The ship had creaked and groaned, swaying with the waves. The Enterprise was too still and the hallways were so quiet.

When she finally decided to ask for eggs and pancakes she was astonished at how quickly her request was granted. The food smelled okay and didn't seem to be fake, but it had appeared very quickly. She paused a moment to examine it further, curious about how the machine worked. With a baby in one arm and a plate in her other hand there wasn't much she could do other than move her head around to try to look at every angle of the machine. Elizabeth never worried about looking like a fool, and she wasn't going to start worrying about appearances just because she was in a new place.

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The man called Samanosuke did, quite literally, have a secret monster in his heart. But it was an ogre, not the demon known as Liquor, and he had become quite disciplined at controlling when, where, and how the Onimusha came out. It was resting quite peacefully when he spotted the dark-haired woman peering 'round about the replicator; the man, himself, felt a rumble of protective instinct when he realized she was carrying an infant at her breast.

He'd thought, for a moment, that she looked familiar, but the woman he was thinking of had not had any children that he knew of. Still, he found himself watching her, and her apparent fascination with the food-dispensing machine. "Is everything all right, miss?"

Bruce, behind her for a few moments now, smiled. "It uses advanced science and pattern recognition, as well as matter to energy, and energy to matter, conversion, to work."

The look on her face and her actions made it clear she was curious, and Bruce's glance, occasionally was on her child. So Q was now snatching children? That was really not good.

Elizabeth turned around, surprised that someone was addressing her. Anne cried out when Elizabeth's grip tightened. The cry startled Elizabeth again and she softened her hold. After a couple panicked baths her composure was restored. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that? How is energy turned into matter?"

Elizabeth jumped when she was addressed, turning around quickly. His concern did a lot to ease her reaction and she only looked at him in confusion instead of fear until her composure returned.

She sighed and put her plate on the nearest table. "Maybe, once I figure out what kind of help I need. I don't suppose you know how the good comes out? That would be interesting to know."

Bruce winced, and nodded. "Sorry for startling you."

Then he smiled. "Through patterning and digitization. Energy and matter are, essentially, the same thing. So by creating a pattern for an object, with the right computer, you can use energy to create a physical representation of that matter."

Several hours had already made Bruce's brain spin, but he understood this much anyway, since they had been on the edge of it in his time and in his world.

"Forgive me," he said, "I did not mean to startle." He shook his head in answer to her question. "I'm afraid this is a bit beyond my knowledge," he confessed, "Though I'd be curious to learn more. I'm new to this time period, myself."

There was a great deal to remember, when it came to the technology of the day.

All he had really wanted was a refill on his coffee but unless he was drinking something fake-alcohol which he'd get at the bar, he he stuck to the replicator. And that was when he didn't get the ingredients himself to cook, since he'd made himself a cooktop.

But seeing a woman with an infant trying to puzzle out the replicator soothed any irritation he felt at being stuck waiting for someone to finish up. "Ma'am? Do you need a hand?" He kept his voice soft, quiet - if the baby was sleeping, he didn't want to wake them. Or startle her.

Elizabeth nodded, taking in his unusual clothing and longer hair. "It seems like that is the case for almost everyone. Have you been here long?" He seemed like a nice, polite man, but for some reason his lips didn't sync up with his words. It was a strange sight. She wasn't sure what to make of it yet. "I'm Elizabeth and this is Anne." She motioned toward the fussy baby, who was not put at ease by Samanosuke's manners.

Elizabeth tried to wrap her mind around that. It sounded familiar, but from where?

A flash of pain lanced through her head and she gasped, putting a hand over her temple. She heard the echo of the Luteces' voices and remembered their lessons while she was traveling.

When the spell passed she wiped the blood from her nose and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I have these spells now and then. That's fantastic."

It was still strange to be called 'ma'am'. It was so respectful, nobody had ever realy treated her with respect before. She turned around, giving the man behind her a sheepish smile. He had a strange feeling to him. In a small way it reminded her of Comstock. Such thoughts were useless, so she disregarded them. He was not her father. His complexion was too pale, his eyes were blue, and he was not apparently in charge of anything.

"Is there a kitchen behind this wall? The food came so quickly." She motioned with her chin toward her plate, blown away by the convenience of the replicator. A machine like that would have made her world so very different. At least, she liked to think it would have.

"Just a few months," he said. He was used to hearing things in his own language even if what he thought he heard obviously didn't match what was actually being said. He half expected Ako, the Crow faerie, to pop out of thin air and start teasing everyone.

He blinked at the one word that did match up. Elizabeth? Ah, but it was a common name, wasn't it? Not like Samanosuke, which wasn't even a common name in 16th century Japan. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Elizabeth," he said, bowing deeply from the waist. "And you, Little Miss Anne."

Anna-chan, it seemed, was having none of it.

Bruce blinked and pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to her. "That's okay. Has anyone ever taken a look to find out why?"

Elizabeth chuckled and glanced down at Anne. "She's fussy sometimes. We used to live on a ship and I think she got used to the rocking and the noise. It's so quiet here." Truthfully the quiet unnerved Elizabeth a little, too.

She looked over at her food and laughed a little. "Would you mind if we talked over breakfast? It's been a while since I last ate."

Elizabeth shook her head and waved the handkerchief away. It was under control now. "I know why. My brain is like a suitcase with too much stuff in it. Sometimes a zipper splits and something comes out."

"Of course," he said, pulling out a chair for her at the table where she had set her plate. "Please." Once she was seated, he sat down as well, and added, "You may call me Samanosuke."

He pocketed it, and nodded as he listened. "Sounds like a not fun situation. Has anyone tried to stabilize the problem?" He felt a curiosity.

Elizabeth gasped and luaghed softly, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you. We were working on it recently but there was a baby to monitor so most of our energy was focused on that."

"Samanosuke." She repeated, smiling brightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She sat daintily and positioned Anne in her lap. "When are you from?"

Bruce smiled, then blinked, startled, then sighed as the impact of her words hit him. "I take it that you've met an alternate universe version of myself?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I have been traveling between universes for. . . well a long time doesn't make much sense as a measure, but I've done it frequently. A different version of you delivered my Anne, and you helped me through a somewhat nerve wracking pregnancy. Any version of you will always have a friend in me, Doctor Banner."

Bruce's eyebrows raised. "In that case, as soon as I can establish myself, i would be glad to assist you and her again."

Far be it from him to disagree with his alternate self's choices.

He was half expecting the plate to drop to the floor any second - he was ready to grab it if it did. "Only in a very loose definition. The machine is called a replicator, it takes base supplies and makes it into what is ordered. I could explain more, if I knew what level of science you know?"

He also wanted more coffee. And maybe some fruit. But he wasn't going to rush her.

Elizabeth nodded and looked around, spying a nearby table. Magneto wasn't the only one who needed breakfast. "That would be good. Would you like to sit with me?" She moved to the table and set her plate down, using her newly free hand to rub Anne's back. The baby was drifting off again, thankfully, so she might even get a chance to eat while they talked. "My science education has been very. . . unique." To put it mildly.

Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you. Have you been here for a while, or are you relatively new? We just arrived a week ago."

"A couple of weeks, now. Long enough to learn a little bit, little enough time to know what I need." He smiled lopsidedly, tentatively.

"How're you enjoying your vacation?"

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