Woman to Woman

Posted on Thu Nov 28th, 2024 @ 12:14am by Lieutenant JG Zai & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,583 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Mess Hall | USS Arcadia
Timeline: After the shuttles left.

ON:

Adrianna had sent some feelers out to some old intel friends. An off the record search was being started, inclusive of a DNA cross match, on a hunch. The woman knew that it was an invasion of privacy, and knew that the information she was asking for would take weeks, but Adrianna started believing in miracles the minute she found out that Vance had survived. As if part of genetic make-up, the pair had undergone the exact same scenarios, losing their memories. Equally, they say that you marry someone that reminds you of your parent's relationship. With Vance being a lot like a father in this scenario, it made sense that, just like Adrianna, her soulmate had confessed feelings in minutes of knowing each other.

Walking into the mess hall, Adrianna grabbed her food and looked around for a seat when she saw Annabelle. She slid into the seat opposite, "don't worry, I come in peace. I just want to have a word."

Annabelle sighed. She looked at Adrianna warily. If Adrianna hadn't been with Vance the two could have been friends. "Okay..." She put away the imaginary phasers.

Adrianna nodded her understanding, lowering her voice not wanting to be overheard or for her to be embarrassed of anyone heard what Adrianna had to say, "there is a lot of history between myself and Vance. I have lost him once because of a freak accident, I will not be losing him again. I do not want whatever malice you have for me to get in the way of your friendship with him. I can see that you care for him, in many ways, the way you treat him is the same way that my brother's treat me. What can I do, to stop this-- between us-- being an issue."

That got to her. Annabelle lowered her head. "Vance is special. He's...kind, loving, has a big heart that's been broken by so many people. I don't want to see him hurt. His own family hurt him."

"I know, but he had one constant," Adrianna smiled, "it wasn't all of his family that let him down."

"Yes it was. Those who love him all hurt him and he was hurt because of love so I don't want him to be hurt again." She looked at Adrianna. "Why do you love him? Weren't you with that Tact guy just a while ago?"

"No, his sister didn't hurt him," Adrianna shook her head, "he loved-- still loves-- her and misses her dearly, which is why he is the caring man that he is. He's sees a lot of his sister in you, and I can see what he means."

Adrianna nodded, and was silent for a moment, considering her words carefully. If Annabelle was who Adrianna thought she was, then Vance would explain all to her, but for now, the case was heavily redacted for a reason. She opted for a lie that wasn't exactly lying, "I worked with Vance for a long time. We were close-- inseparable. We were engaged for a time too. As fate had It, our lives were rather violently torn apart. In fact, a freak accident meant that I thought he was dead. I never quite got over it, but two years on, I got set up with Jason because my mother is-- well, a mother. I tried, but it was clear that I wasn't ready to move on, even after 2 years. As fate would have it, I found out that Vance was alive, in a form, anyway. Neither one of us had moved on. Each holding out for the other to return in any form."

Adrianna paused, going over everything she had said in her mind to ensure nothing slipped that was redacted before answering the question, "both then, and now, Vance is everything I am not. He brings out the best in me and grounds me. I never really believed in soulmates before I met him. I love him for many reasons but the most important is that, he is unapologetically him. I have no intention of letting him slip through my fingers again. It would kill me as much as it would him."

She sighed. "Well okay then." She paused. "I don't understand how he could still love his sister. It's my understanding her stupid crush almost got him killed. She was at fault. If that idiot hadn't been so smitten she would have listened to Vance's warnings."

Adrianna thought on it for a moment, "love makes you do stupid things. Do you not have siblings?"

She shrugged. "I did, in another life." She looked up. "What did you mean when you said your mother was being a mother?"

"Older brother," she asked before answering her question, "ah, my mother is a traditionalist. She wants a big family. So, she sees herself as a matchmaker. I thought I had time as I am the youngest of 9, but clearly not."

She smiled. "Nine! Oh my Gods. Are you all close?"

Adrianna chuckled and nodded, "some more than others. My oldest brother, Giovanni-- I'm closest to him. He's been there for me through everything. He's a captain now on the USS Augustus."

She smiled. "My brother and I always used to talk about having a big family." She sighed. "It must be nice." She looked at Adrianna. "You're not the dragon people think you are."

Adrianna couldn't help but give a knowing smile. She was looking forward to seeing all the research on Annabelle. The woman chuckled, "I said it to Vance, and I will say it to you too-- I can't have everyone know that I'm a secret sweetheart. Look, I'm a dragon when I need to be. Comes with my job history. The rumours-- most a true, I'll admit, but the fact of the matter is that regardless, underneath it all, I'm just a human."

She smiled. "I get that." She sighed. "Well I should get back. Someone's got to keep an eye out for Zai. My husband has to answer to his brother if something happens and today Fang is in engineering so I'm on watch. I really shipped them hard at the Academy before Frankie told me what an ass Fang was. Geeze, Sabastian could have died because of him back at the academy. Had I know that I wouldn't have rooted for Fang and Zai."

"You have me curious," Adrianna raised a brow, "actually killed, or metaphorically? Also, don't worry, I 'shipped' them too."

"He actually could have died. I don't' know the full story but Frankie says that Fang doctored voice prints and convinced Sabastian Zai said some horrible things about him. Then got Sab drunk to the point of alcohol poisoning and then the whole thing with the kiss between Sab and Fang...Ugh. Then when Sab wanted to tell Zai what happened Fang tampered with the shuttle so that Sab wouldn't get to Zai before he left Earth. The shuttle crashed so that's twice he could have died due to Fang." She sighed. "None of that stuck with Sab though what has him all strung out was how Fang just kissed him and Sab was too drunk to push him away. Thankfully it was only a kiss and Frankie got there quick after hearing Sab left with some dude from the bar but do you know what it feels like to feel that powerless? It really shook Sabastian up and he's a tough man."

"Unfortunately, more than most," Adrianna went a little pale at the question but quickly recovered, "I have to admit that whilst I understand the reasoning behind the caution, I am a firm believer in second chances. The academy was a long time ago. Everyone has done a lot of growing up and I cannot see Fang going to such a length again. But that is me. I don't know enough to have a firm opinion on the matter."

Adrianna paused, "ah, before you go, I had a question for you-- but I don't want you to get 'loo loo' over the question. Sorry that's a new term for me, and I like it: loo loo."

She smiled. "Sure. Go ahead."

"I know parts-- it's my job to know, or rather habit to be in the know, but I know that you seemingly came from nowhere," Adrianna cleared her throat, "if you had the opportunity, would you want to know what you are missing, memory wise?"

Annabelle studied her. "Yeah. It's true. Nobody knows where I came from. Doctors said I fell from a big height and that did it. Second bump on the head a few years ago...well that opened the flood gates but there is no point in going back to my past life. I was nothing but a burden." She shrugged. "Well I got to run."

"What if I told you that you may be misremembering certain aspects?" Adrianna simply threw it out there, "if you ever wanted to be certain, I cannot make promises until after this mission, but I think I could fill in those gaps for you-- including your true name."

She turned to Adri. "Remember what I said. He deserves the best, certainly not someone who almost got him killed because she just had to have a crush on someone he warned her about." She turned and walked away.

There it was-- an answer without being direct. Adrianna smiled to herself. Perhaps life could hold more than one miracle.

OFF:

 

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