Part III - The Truth

Posted on Sat Nov 9th, 2024 @ 10:08pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami & Lieutenant JG Zai

1,084 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Via Subspace Coms

"Unless you remember why I stole your favourite shirt, you will not get it back-- you lost it fair and square-- also, I enjoy wearing it as a night dress. And at least I gave back your lucky jacket. Also-- getting into your quarters was easy. The fact that it took you two days to realize that I'd left a lipstick print on your pillow... That was worrying, but that's what you get for being a cazzone to me."

She chuckled but then stopped and looked at him. She took a leap of faith, "one: find you. Two: steal your ship and do donuts around Saturn until I vomit. Three--" Adrianna stopped herself, her breath catching a little. She looked down to the pendant around her neck. "Vance. Why did you choose Betazed?" She could feel herself not wanting to know the answer-- no matter which way it went. It was written all over her face: she was desperate for him to return.

He smiled. "Make our broken heart whole." He laughed. "For the record I still would have paid a fortune to see you whiz around Saturn."

She looked back at the screen, in some disbelief. "Please, tell me that you're not lying -- that this is real. This isn't some cazzone move for me lying to you about being Starfleet and killing quite a few of your missions because of it-- and getting you 'killed by Klingons'. Vance--please--" Adrianna didn't beg, but this was no ordinary situation. She struggled to maintain composure, fidgeting and biting her lips, trying not to cry but her eyes were flooding, "Merde, Vance! Please." Her words were almost a whispered whimper as her voice broke.

He smiled. "When have you ever known me to lie to anyone that's not a client that is. And only to save my skin and the skins of my ship mates." He looked around and sighed. "It just happened so suddenly and you have Zai to thank for it. During our time on the station he uses a skill of his that his people call soul retrieval. I started to remember stuff and then I dreamed of the cave I knew I had to go there. Then another treatment with another member of Zai's tribe and wham it was and still is like a flood. I have to admit my childhood is still a mess but I can remember everything from getting booted from the academy on."

She was silent. Completely silent. Her heart was pounding, her mind spiraling and her body trembling. She finally allowed herself to smile and let tears cascade from her eyes. Everything that she had been holding back and pushing down since his 'death' suddenly felt eased. The burden of grief had been lifted. She put her face in her hands-- she'd only ever cried in front of him once and it was not for positive reasons. "Madonna--" she shook her head, coming to a semblance of sense, "sorry-- it's a lot. These are happy tears, I promise."

His own eyes filled with tears. "Yeah I get it. Shed a few of those." He smiled at her. "Well I should go but listen. I should tell you something before I go lest you get mad and spike my Grappa with poison."

She nodded, unable to really speak between tears.

"I may have bullied Zai into putting in a word for me for a ship to ship transfer."

"Ah, you're the engineer Fang was talking about," she nodded, it all coming together, "merde-- like he would need to be bullied. He'd do anything for you." She paused, "and?"

"We'll find out soon it'll be a bit before final crew notices are scent. But Zai said he's been bugging Fang."

"I'll speak to Fang-- he owes me anyway," Something suddenly came into her mind and she had to chuckle, "all these years... I called you Capitan. Now I'm higher ranking than you."

He sighed, "All these years I've been bitter towards Fleeters and now I'm one of them."

"You don't have to be," she offered, "my family are always hiring, but I know that you would miss being on a ship." She paused, "I know that this is far from what you wanted, but Amore mio-- you are alive and we can be together again. Is that not worth more than your bitterness towards Fleeters? I was one-- and you still loved me even after you found out. Zai is one, and he helped bring you back. We are not all bad people. I mean... You and I... We are terrible people."

There was a slight hesitation to her next words, "I have to ask, as it has bothered me since I found out that you were alive-- when you found out that I was Starfleet, that I was the leak, did you ever stop loving me?"

"Not for a second. You had a job to do I respected that, always."

She breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm glad I wrote that resignation then. You understand that I was so angry at you for saving me."

"When it comes to the question of you or me it was always going to be you."

She blushed and smiled, "one more question, and then I'll let you go as I am sure that you have had enough of me."

He smiled. "Anything!"

Nerves kicked in and it was written across her face. She looked away from the screen, "the day that I lost you, I called you my fidanzato. I do not wish to assume, Amore mio. Where do you want us to pick us up from?"

He thought a moment. "Well I think let's spend time together and see if you still like the lovable rough that I am. As for me, my feelings are still the same."

She nodded her understanding. A lot had happened whilst they were apart, it made sense that the felt things out first, in fact, she appreciated it. "Now that you know the real me-- you should know that my father and brothers would murder you for not being traditional in asking for permission."

She chuckled softly before shaking her head, "I don't want to end this call-- I want to stay up and talk with you all night like we used to, but I have so much to do tomorrow." Adrianna smiled, "if you ever find yourself on Freecloud in Bernie's, don't have the chicken. Sweet dreams, amore mio. I love you."

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