Star Trek: Eventide 777

[PADD] From: Edward Nately To: Virana Taf

I need to speak with you urgently. Can I meet you at your quarters?

[PADD] From: Virana Taf To: Edward Nately

I'm afraid I'm busy at the moment, will it okay if we meet up in an hour or two?

after 2 hours had passed Natley arrived at the door to her quarters and gave a meek knock upon the door.

"Enter!" Virana called from inside, she was sitting on her couch with a bowl of Andorian redbat noodle soup. Talking to the Vorta earlier about it made her want some.

Natley entered the quarters with a deep set frown upon his face. He had been struggling to find the correct words but, now all he could ask is. "Why?"

"What?" She asked with a mouthful of noodles before swallowing and clearing her throat. "What are you talking about?"

He took a seat across from her at the table. He slid a PADD showing the results of his test to her. She wouldn't be able to understand any of it but, Natley gave it to her anyways. "Do you know what this is?" His tone was excessively harsh, for now he was mad at her for hiding this from him.

She looked at the padd and paled visibly. "I'm guessing it's a DNA test...but how did you? What?" She looked at him in confusion.

He sarcastically laughed in a nasty manner, unfamiliar to him. "Serri was kind enough to offer me some of her DNA. How long have you known." He had an expression of sorrow with a slight under lying hate. 'Who was she to hide his family away from him. Just anouther person who didn't want him.'

She set her bowl down at turned to look at him in the face. "I've had my suspicions until i saw your birthmark and then looked into your family." She explained. "Do you want to know why?" She asked with a straight face, no smile, no guilt, no sorrow, nothing.

He nodded. "You've known all I've ever wanted is to meet my whole family, yet you've known for so long. I can't believe you'd be so selfish. Why don't you want me?" His sudden wave of brashness dissipated after he finished talking giving why to a few tears as the words hung in the air for a moment.

"I'm selfish?" She repeated before her voice hardened and grew louder. "I'm selfish!?" She bolted up and jabbed a finger in his chest. "All I've ever done is try to help the family. All I EVER DO is help the family in their little squirmishes and all the trouble they get into." She spat. "Goran and his stupid trouble with the Syndicate, Serri and her inability to think, Mama and Papa and their failures in their work!" She chuckled darkly. "The best thing to do for everyone was that I keep you a secret. For you, for Serri, for mama, papa, gosh, even for Goran! I'm not the only one with guilt, I'm not the only one who benefits from this! You get to hang out with Serri and I and Serri can see you as a brother without actually knowing, same as me, my parents...our parents wouldn't know the wiser. They have enough things to worry about as is." She collapsed on the floor with a strangled sob. "I'm sorry..." She whispered. "But I had too."

He brashly stood up holding his arms against the table. He pushed back against Virana even as she continued to sob. He couldn't control his anger in the slightest. "You don't talk about Serri that way, you here me? She has a kind heart, she's the sister I always wanted. Meanwhile you are mischievous, devious, and self serving. You think of my as a problem! Maybe I don't even want you as a sister!" He scoffed. "Don't you apologize to me unless you actually mean it. I don't want to be manipulated like you do everyone else. We could've spent so much time together, we could've had so much fun but, you choose to treat me like this." He slowly slumped back down into his seat and broke into tears, he didn't even try to stop. He had been battered down, he had never yelled at anyone like that before he had lost all self control and he knew it.

"I do mean it, but just because I think about what's best for my family doesn't mean that I wanted to do it." She scowled, stumbling back from the push. "I'm just thinking what's best for everyone!" She cried. "I treated you like my own brother, because you are okay?" "And it's not like anyone cares for me anyway! It's always me, I always have to think about what's best for everyone because nobody cares!" She growled. "Nobody... nobody cares about this family but me." She stood up angrily.

He slumped back in his seat and buried his face in his hands. Through muffled tears he spoke. "That's all I've ever wanted... someone I can help out... someone I can care for and who will care for me... but you didn't want me as a brother... you just wanted me as what, a customer? I just want to be your brother why can't I do that? I don't even want to contact our parents I only care about you and Serri."

"I do!" She shouted. "If I only wanted you as a customer I would have wanted a paying customer!" She screamed. "Does it matter if you know or not? Really!? If we care about each other like we're siblings does it really matter!?"

"IT DOES! I've told you about a million times the one thing I've always wanted is a sister. I still want you as a sister! Even after you've been deceitful and mean to me. you're my family, thats something neither of us can change... there should be a connection between us." He relented as he slumped further into his seat. Breaking into a much deeper crying, unable to form any more words.

"No it doesn't!" She screamed again. "It really doesn't, there is no physical difference between now and before. It was great before, when you didn't know! Don't you understand? This!?" She gestured frantically towards the both of them. "This is because you dug into things YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TOO. I am your sister whether you know it or not, whether you want it or not."

He continued to sob in his seat, full of self pity. In spite of his treatment he still wanted nothing more then to be a good brother to Serri and Virana. However he was unable to articulate his feeling any further.

Virana sighed and brought her green hands up to her face. "I...need to go. Stay as long as you'd like I guess." She sighed as she got up to leave, she didn't want to hear him cry when she already felt so terrible. She needed to talk to someone, anyone, just..she left the room, the door hissing closed.

He stood up and chased her out.

Dinner tonight by the lake? ~Ughaz'udan

Sounds good to me, see you there Lieutenant! - Rana

Dressed in off duty clothing, complete with his usual dark gray trench coat, he chimed the doorbell.

"Come on in!" She called from inside.

He stepped through the door and looked around for Virana.

"Hello Ughaz'udan!" She smiled from over by the replicator, she carefully balanced some warm dinner to the table set up in the corner and set it down. "Glad you could make it."

"I made my promise to be here - the least I can do is to be present as promised." He stated flatly while sitting down at the table.

"Well I'm still glad." She smiled before sitting down herself and pulled her hair away from her face into a messy bun so she could eat. "So how was your day?" She asked curiously.

"Normal. I would even call it mundane." He deadpanned. "This dinner so far has been the highlight."

"Nice, although not much of a comparison if everything else has been dull." She said thoughtfully.

"I believe what matters is that our time spent together is well spent - even if it is simply enjoying each other's presence. Is that not so?"

She nodded and took a bite of her food. "Very true."

He smiled a dry smile and dug into his food in silence - though he didn't seem uncomfortable at any rate. Somehow this felt nice, just the two of them enjoying a meal together.

It was quiet, but it was nice. Peaceful really, it wasn’t awkward at all.

After a while he asked quietly, "Would you like to go to the holodeck when we are finished? We can also remain here if you would prefer..."

"The holodeck sounds lovely." She nodded, taking another sip of her drink. "Have a program in mind?"

"Somewhere peaceful - where we can simply be together?" He suggested. "how does that sound?"

"That sounds good to me." She nodded.

"Excellent." Ughaz'udan cracked a smile. "I do already have an idea - I hope you like it.:

"Ooh, can't wait." She said before finishing up her food. "Any hints?"

"No. The surprise is part of the fun." He smirked back at her.

"Tch, spoilsport." She laughed. "I'm ready when you are."

"As am I." He cleared both plates and awkwardly offered her his arm. That was what dating couples did didn't they? The gesture felt odd...

1

She took his arm with a smile and let him lead the way.

He led the way out the door.

She followed.