by TC Blane and Fleur Le Marc
80716.20
Following Hands Held HighSoundtrack: If I Talk To God by The Last Goodnight
-=The Galley/Crew Dining Hall, USS Alchemy=-
80716.20
Following Hands Held HighSoundtrack: If I Talk To God by The Last Goodnight
-=The Galley/Crew Dining Hall, USS Alchemy=-
TC watched the captain leave so she could prepare for the party and possibly speak with the Vedek. He sincerely hoped that they would be able to talk their way though the emotional roller coaster that they both were on. He considered them both to be among his small cadre of friends and it saddened him to see them in pain.
He also had to get ready for the party, but first there was something that he needed to check up on.
He quietly made his way though the small corridors of the Alchemy and into the small mess hall. His conversation with the captain had raised a concern in his mind about the ship resident baker. The captain had mentioned that Fleur, in another timeline, was married to Jariel. TC was worried about just how much she knew about her alternate life.
The Sylphs' meddling with crew had caused damage beyond belief. The ships counselor would be booked solid for months helping people deal with the pain of the aliens' ‘healing’. TC silently wondered why he had not been targeted by the Sylph. Maybe it was his choice not to live with regret, or maybe he did not have a conscience. He laughed inwardly.
If the Sylph had tried to help both the Captain and O’Sullivan because of their involvement in the alternate timeline, it was possible that they also tried to help Fleur and either she did not realize or she was keeping it to herself.
*Of course it is possible that she does not know anything.* TC reminded himself as he stepped into the decorated hall.
He found Fleur behind the counter, unmoving with her head hung low. She was staring at a glass she held in her hand. TC frowned and watched her for a moment. She was someplace else.
“Fleur.” He called out gently as he walked towards the counter. “Can we talk a moment?”
"Why not. But I warn you Monsieur Blane, you could likely find much better company with which to speak."
"Why is that?"
"I am quite busy." She gestured to piles of napkins waiting to be folded, and stemware she was already polishing.
"Looks like you've planned quite a spread. Can I assist?"
"Yes, there are heavy trays of deli meat and cheeses in the refrigeration unit, if you would be so kind, I would be very grateful."
TC rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands and then opened the door to the fridge. He whistled approvingly. "This will be some party. You have been busy."
She began hurrying to fuss with setting out more glasses and plates, along with silverware and trays of hors d'œuvre. "If I am being honest, though I must admit that it is not this party which keeps me from being a good conversationalist this evening," Fleur admitted. She knew that Blane had long been aware of her feelings for Jariel, and so saw no need to try to conceal her emotions from him now.
"I am having another very complicated soiree already, for myself alone. It is what I believe you and your friends from the North American continent would call, a 'pity party'.
TC carried the trays to a buffet table that had been set up in front of the small windows that lined the longest wall of the room. He listened to Fleur and opted to wait for a few moments before speaking to her about the subject that he had come down here for. Maybe she would reveal what he wanted to know without him even having to ask.
“Why are you having a pity party?” He asked nonchalantly.
"Because, you see, Monsieur Blane, it would seem that not only does His Eminence the Vedek Jariel Camen know of my feelings for him, but he has told me himself, with his own words and, remarkably, his own voice," she still wondered, taking into account the anger of the Prophets and their promises to her as well, how he could be speaking when he was still bent on pursuing the course they had condemned.
The course leading him to that woman.
"Told you what?" he prompted, setting down another tray beside the first one.
"That he can never..." she almost choked on the confession, "...love me as I do him. So." She nodded. "Pity party for one. Yours truly."
TC stared at the woman for a moment. He wondered if this was the opportunity to get the answers to his questions, without having to ask any directly. He folded his arms across his chest.
“Some things are just not meant to be, no matter how much we wish.” He stated baiting her to talk some more.
"What we wish, eh?" Fleur clucked her tongue. "As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for, you may get it?"
TC stood silently.
"It is not the wishing that is the problem. In fact, it is not even I alone who wish for-" she stopped and began unfolding another table cloth to spread on the next buffet table. "Tell me, Monsieur Blane. These fairy visitors that we had," she was referring to the Sylph now. "Did they show their favor to you by granting you any visions? Hm? Any closure of past events or glimpses into the future?"
Now she had TC’s undivided attention. “No.” He said flatly. “Even if they had I would not consider it a good thing. Visions of fantasies are still just fantasies.”
He walked over and helped to set the table cloth. “Closure is not something I need. I’ve come to terms with my past, present and future long ago. Regret is a waste of time.”
He paused before continuing. “Did the Sylph grant you any visions?” He asked directly.
"No." Fleur answered, just as succinctly. "I was not interesting enough to them, I suppose."
"Count yourself lucky," Blane replied. "I do. From what I understand, it was not a pleasant experience for anyone involved."
"What is your opinion of romantic love, Monsieur Blane? Is it also a fantasy?"
TC was taken by surprise by the question. He was not sure how to answer it. He had been romantically involved before, granted not recently, but even when he was he was not prone to bouts of ‘Romantic Love’ as Fleur had just described it. Infatuations, crushes, and the like were not his style. If he found himself attracted to a person, he let them know and then either entered a relationship with them or moved on. He could be romantic only in a planned and orderly, military fashion. He had to admit that in many ways he was romantically lacking.
“I believe that it is different to each of us, romance that is. Love is the same way, different and unique to the person who feels it. We all express it in our own way.” He was obviously uncomfortable with the subject. “But I believe a person's feelings are anything but a fantasy.”
"Well, that makes you the first man I have spoken with today who feels that way." Fleur tossed the dish towel she'd been using to polish the stemware down onto the counter. "Tell me one more thing, Monsieur Blane. Do you believe in fighting for lost causes?"
He shrugged his shoulders. “That depends I guess on what the cause is.” He folded his arms across his chest.
"I do." Fleur replied without hesitation. In that moment a revelation occurred to her, and she knew just what she needed to do now. "Commander Blane, since you are acting as First Officer on this trip aboard the Alchemy, I must inform you that once we reach Betazed I will not be staying aboard. I have approximately ten weeks of shore leave accumulated, and it is my aim to take that leave."
"All at once? What do I tell the crew to eat all the way back and more importantly, who will make my perfect cup of coffee?"
"Perfect cup of coffee, you may have to wait for until Fleur's return. I am sorry for that. As far as the food, that is what replicators are for, no?"
Then, much less flippantly, she looked him in the eye. She knew she would be inconveniencing the crew by doing this, and silently begged their forgiveness. "I am sorry, Commander Blane, but this is a most pressing personal matter."
As she contemplated the trip from Betazed to Bajor, she knew exactly where she was headed. "In confidence, I tell you that this is something I should have done a very long time ago."
TC stared at her. “Well you are entitled to the time so take what you need.” He paused a second. “If your lost cause is Jariel, just remember something. His heart belongs to the captain. From what I have seen it will remain that way forever, even if their relationship does not work out.” He stood and started towards the door. “How would you even know, for sure, that he could love you in that way? Would you be willing to accept the title of second best? Or as I prefer to call it, first loser.”
"I would rather be his second than anyone else's first." Fleur replied so softly that TC could barely make out the words. "If losing meant being with him, then I would gladly accept the title. Sometimes, we must accept what life gives us, and be grateful that we have it if we can get it. Even if we are not in first place at the finish line."
“Sometimes lost causes are just supposed to stay lost.” He turned and headed towards the door. “I’ll inform Commander Salvek that you will be taking the extended leave.” He called over his shoulder as he walked back into the corridor.
"Merci," Fleur said absently to the empty dining room. As she continued her work, her mind was already light years away. "Yes, Camen...I am going to Bajor."
----------------------------
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity/Alchemy
and
Fleur Le Marc
French Chick on a Mission
(Who ain't goin' to Bajor just to see the sights)
USS Alchemy NX 53099
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity/Alchemy
and
Fleur Le Marc
French Chick on a Mission
(Who ain't goin' to Bajor just to see the sights)
USS Alchemy NX 53099