Hurry Up and Wait
Posted on Fri Sep 25th, 2009 @ 8:21pm by Commander Curtiss Drake
1,530 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
The Shining Truth
Location: San Francisco, Earth
Timeline: Current
Fox stepped through the doorway into the bustling den of activity and waved his hands before his face as a cloud of strange colored and smelling smoke wafted before him. He waved it away and continued on into the room, smiling around at the noise and ambiance of this, one of the seediest joints in all of San Francisco; one of his old favorites from his days at the Academy.
Edging his way through the crowd, Fox managed to find a empty stool at the bar and slid into it beside a few unsavory looking Nausicaan's and one very ugly Tellurite. The barkeep sidled around to him and he ordered a Scotch, neat, and turned back to take another look at the eclectic group of beings that had accumulated in the room around him. He turned back finally as the barkeep set his drink on the bar before him. He picked up the glass a took a slow experimental sip before a voice trailed over the din of noise around him.
"..ox. Cailean Fox." said a clearly shocked but entirely sarcastic feminine voice from his left. Leaning forward he saw the dark haired woman who was calling his name nursing a tall martini glass filled with a steaming liquid. She arched her eyebrow at him and picked up her drink, walking seductively around the bar to the stool next to him, removing a young and enamored Academy cadet from the stool who stumbled away staring shamelessly at the woman. She was tall and fluid, her figure enough to make even the Nausicaan's take a second look. She had dark raven hair that was pulled tightly back with just a few touches of gray along the scalp, giving her that mature, minxish edge.
"Cailean Fox." she repeated, taking a slow sip of her martini. "I have to say, I never thought I'd see you again." she smiled, setting her drink on the bar and leaning onto the wooden surface on her elbow to look at him.
"Liza." Fox replied, not too happy to see her, but respectful enough of their past history not to just get up and walk away. "What's it been?"
"Say how long its been and you'll be eating your meals through a straw." she countered quickly with a look of the utmost venom.
"Of course." Fox drawled slowly, not really sure what to say.
"What? Not happy to see me?" she asked, tilting her shoulders seductively.
"I didn't say that." Fox replied, "Just didn't expect to see you here. It's been a long time."
"Mmmm." she replied, "I remember. You left me standing right over there." she said, pointing to a completely occupied table at the opposite end of the room. "Next time I saw you, you were all gaga for some skinny blonde in Chinatown." she added. "That was the last time I saw you." she finished, an edge of deeper emotions flashing behind her eyes.
Cailean took a slow drink of his scotch. He knew the day she was talking about, it was one of his first date's with Shawna before they got married. But he had no idea that Liza has seen him there. Its not as if they were together, he and Liza, but there was a certain amount of guilt on his part for moving on from her so quickly to Shawna. He didn't regret it one bit, but still... there was always that question of what could have been.
"And now.. here you are." Liza continued, swirling her drink and not looking at him. "Couldn't find another young blonde to woo?" she asked.
"Liza..." he replied, shaking his head.
She turned on him quickly and slapped him across the face, garnering several startled looks from nearby patrons.
"Don't patronize me Cailean." she continued, pointing at him and looking as if she might mutate in the fire-breathing dragon of fairy-tale lore at any moment. "You left me high and dry without even a good bye."
"You said you didn't want things to get complicated." Fox replied, setting his drink down a bit heavier than he meant to. "You told me it was nothing more than friends."
"Oh, posh." Liza replied, waving her hand dismissively. "You know better than that. I was young, I didn't know what I wanted, other than you." she said, turning away to face the bar now. "And by the time I found you to tell you, you were already with that... bimbo."
"She wasn't a bimbo." Fox replied quickly, quietly and icily.
"Right." Liza replied, "She stole your heart and you loved her until you left on duty again." she said sarcastically. "Sound about right?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.
"No." Fox replied, turning to sit beside her at the bar, shoulder to shoulder. "I married Shawna." he continued, "She gave me three daughters." he added quietly, staring into the depths of his glass now.
Liza looked sideways at him, her temper soothed by his revelation. It didn't make her feel any better on the inside, but at least he hadn't just left her for no one in particular. He'd left her for the real thing; real love. She only wished she'd been able to show him her feelings before he went out in search of another.
"She... uhm." she began, clearing her throat. "She coming to join you here?" she asked, suddenly overcome with the urge to not make a scene, something she'd almost intended on doing since she got his attention.
Cailean chuckled awkwardly. "Shawna's been dead fifteen years." he replied quietly. "With two of my daughters." he added, taking a long pull of his scotch and letting the burn of the whiskey distract his other emotions.
"W-what about the third?" Liza asked quietly, touching Cailean's hand like the old friend and lover that he was.
He smiled meekly, "Chief Surgeon on the USS Iowa." he replied. "Apple doesn't fall far..." he added with a bit more smile.
"I-I'm sorry." Liza stuttered. "I didn't mean to-."
"No. You're right." Cailean cut her off, "I was too young to see it, and I ran off to find someone who was more transparent. It's my fault for leaving you hanging." he admitted, taking another pull from his glass, the last, and waving for the barkeep to bring another.
He turned to look Liza in the eye, "I'm sorry." he said.
Liza looked at Cailean long and hard, staring into his eyes and breathing slowly as she tried to read her old friend. Fox glanced away slightly as the barkeep poured him more Scotch before turning back to Liza, who smiled broadly and shook her head before withdrawing a bit and picking her drink back up.
"What's her name?" she asked before taking a sip and setting the glass back down.
"Beg your pardon?" Fox asked, taking a sip of his new drink.
"The woman who has your attention now." she replied, smirking at him. "Oh come on, Cailean." she replied when he didn't say a word. "I've been around enough men to know that look in your eyes. You didn't look at me like a single man would, you looked at me like a man who's interests were elsewhere would." she smiled, biting the inside of her lips as a final test. When Cailean only stared blankly back at her she smiled broadly.
"Whats her name." she asked again, taking a sip and fully expecting him to reveal it now.
"Amy." Cailean sighed, stroking his mustache curiously. How could she have seen that in his eyes, was he really wearing it on his sleeve?
Liza laughed, "Some things never change." she smiled, "Still a weak spot for the opposite sex. I would have thought you'd have learned by now." she smirked, sliding her empty martini glass to the barkeep and stowing a small purse under her arm. As she waved to another man who had just walked into the place.
"I'm afraid I have a date." she said as a burly man in Marine green's approached. He was near to half her age, but he was watching her as if she was the last woman in existence. "Good luck with your new lady, Cailean." she added with a wink before grabbing the massive man's arm and sidling out of the bar.
Cailean watched her leave before turning back to the bar and staring down at his drink. He was getting too old for this kind of drama, was he really that transparent though. Staring down into the depths of his drink, he let his mind wander aimlessly through everything that had happened the last few days and everything that would be happening soon. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he looked up at the barkeep to see that the rest of the crowd had left sometime during her reverie. Suddenly shocked to be so nearly alone, he paid his tab and left. As he stepped out into the street, he looked up at the moon and shook his head. You're too old for this... he thought to himself.
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