We'll Always Have Paris

Posted on Mon Nov 27th, 2023 @ 4:11pm by Lieutenant JG Toareth Rouen (née Darqa) & Lieutenant JG René Rouen

1,884 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Prelude: Getting Ready to Depart
Location: Eiffel Tower Observation Deck, Paris, France
Timeline: Four Years Ago: December 24, 2371 - 1900 hours

René couldn't be more happy in life than he was at that moment in time. The Stardancer had returned from the Cadet cruise and a week ago and he had asked Toareth, the woman he had fallen head over heels in love with, to join him for Christmas leave with his family. The last week had been magical. His mother had taken to Toar like she was a part of the family already. A mother just knew when their son was in love.

Rene held Toar in his arms as they looked out over the Paris cityscape. He planned on asking the beautiful woman in his embrace to marry him come Christmas morning as gifts were exchanged by the family. He gave a moment to reflect over the last three months.

Toareth has never visited the Federation capital. Now, she was getting her fill of it. She could think of no better way to be introduced to such a city. There was one thing, however. Toar realized she had not actually spoken the words 'I,' 'love,' and 'you' to René. She only responded in kind when he said it, or found a way to break in before he could finish, or start saying it for that matter. Her empathic abilities frequently clued her in on when he might just say it. Still, she enjoyed the city and the lights and René, especially René, his embrace and the feeling, finally a feeling of belonging.

Toar had not been someone who smiled when he had first met her. Now she smiled more often and her smile brought joy to his life. He turned her slightly to face him and gently kissed her for a moment. "Thank you for coming to Paris with me for the holidays. This has been the best week of my life and you have been the biggest part of that."

She smiled as she looked at him, brought a hand up to gently rest upon the side of his face. "Thank you for having me. I...uh...I know I can be difficult. I am well fluent with this time of year for your people; the familial rituals you partake in. In years past, it has always been a reminder to me of the family I do not have." She looked back out at the cityscape, the lights. "I have always used this time as a means to..." to go on a mission of Lynch's choosing, to embark on a self-imposed quest to bring down a pirate, to end up on some disease-ridden outpost and find a cure, to keep herself busy and not having to think about her lack of family, "...to escape," was all she said to that. "But your family...your family makes me feel like I already belong and..." she looked back into René's eyes, "...and that feels like the greatest gift anyone has ever given me." She leaned more into him and his embrace.

She thought, briefly, of the many things over the decades that she wanted or needed to tell him, but just about each and every little detail felt like it would bring ruin to this moment. And that was how each and every moment with René felt to her, like a moment to cherish and that any ruination brought on by her would be an unforgiveable transgression. There was still much, a great deal, about her that he did not know. And that was why, whenever her empathy clued her in on his desire to speak those three words, she would do or say something to stop it, because she truly felt that if/when he ever did fully know her, that would be when his love for her would end.

"Thank you for this," she said after her thoughts felt like an age had passed since them two had shared words.

"Of course." René smiled warmly on gently kissed Toar. "I love being able to spend time with you." He pulled her into a cheek to cheek embrace and spoke softly into her ear. "I love you...with every fiber of my being." He knew she wouldn't say it back to him, but when the time was right, he knew she would.

She had felt, with her empathy, his wanting to utilize those words. She had little avenue to stop them, but some small part of her decided to not even try. In fact, that same small part of her exploded into dominance and, "I...I lo..." but a flash of light and the obvious sound of a teleporter stopped whatever she was going to say. Both René and Toareth turned to look and saw a man materialize off to the side.

As soon as he had finished materializing, he took in the view. "Oh. Paris! Eiffel Tower no less," he said as he looked around. Finally turning his eyes on the loving pair, "Apologies. It appears I am interrupting something."

"Yes, you are," said Toareth with a sigh.

"Good. That means I have your attention."

With utmost deadpan and with absolutely no desire to, "René, this is Lynch. That is the only name he goes by."

"And this must be Frenchy," said Lynch. "I have read so much about you."

René took a step forward as he released Toar from the embrace. He remembered the man as the one who had stepped up to the table Toar had been sitting at when he was on stage playing an impromptu set with other shipmates. He glanced back at Toar before returning his gaze to Lynch. "You are interrupting sir. I am therefore kindly asking you to leave us so we may enjoy our evening...good sir."

"Lynch," he corrected. "No need to 'sir' me. I am sure the Old Girl can attest to that. But please...good sir...if I may request but two minutes. I bear news of great import," he said somewhat mockingly. "I am sure, coming from a background in Security, you can appreciate the urgence to possibly stopping a war before it starts." He held up two fingers and mouthed the words, 'two minutes.'

René set the timer on his watch. "Two minutes. Not a second more." He started the timer and walked to the far side of the observation deck.

"Oh you can stay and listen in if you prefer," he said after René. He also realized René was hardly far enough away to be completely out of earshot. To Toareth, "I just teleported in to your location. I had no idea where you were or what you were doing. Only that the environment was safe."

"I don't believe you."

"Attagirl," he pointed at her. "Listen, we have some new intel. This war is about to get hot. And I mean, inside a few days. I am sure Frenchy Security over there already understands the gravity of the situation. They know the time of year Earth is in. It's the holidays! The Dominion is expecting hesitation and hopefulness for peace and goodwill. All the while they are plotting unprecedented destruction. Your skills and knowledge and experience are paramount to stopping this if we can. If this war goes hot, perhaps we can make it a short one. And you can get back to him," he motioned to the side where René was standing.

Toareth was looking back and forth from Lynch to René and back, weighing options.

"You can make little french fries in a time of peace or try that in a time of war."

Toareth was thinking it over. "How long?"

"A few months. If it goes hot, maybe more. Unknown really. It's war."

"And René?"

"Starfleet will station him where they need him. Want me to pull some strings? I'll do it."

"Let me get back to you on that," said Toareth.

"That is not a 'yes.'"

"When?"

"My ship departs in 3 hours. If you are not on it, you can expect to be beamed aboard without prior notice. Remember, remember the 5th of November."

Toareth scoffed at that. She looked at René, knowing he could hear and was listening.

"I promise comms time when time allows."

"I'll be there...in three hours," she said then waved him away as she stepped away.

A teleport whisked him away as she returned to René. "You heard all that I take it?"

René sighed as he gazed at Toar. His plans for the perfect Christmas had been ruined. He glanced at the spot where Lynch had teleported back to wherever and returned his eyes to her. "You don't have to go. We could transport to Starfleet Command. Get official orders to keep you here." He looked sad, crushed even. He felt like his whole world was falling apart.

"That wouldn't work," she said. She also offered no explanation as to why. However, "Lynch is Starfleet. Also not. He operates in this grey area. It's complicated. Enough about that." Their time was short and she did not want to spend it talking about Lynch. "I did say I can be difficult. Listen," she said as she worked her way back into his embrace, "I know there is a lot you do not know about me. Once we are in each other's company again...and we will be together again...I will tell you all. Just..." the 5th of November kept ringing in her head, "...not now. Right now, all I want you to know is that we will be together again. That...and...I..." she took a breath and used it all up with, "I love you."

René’s face lit up with joy at her last three words. He dug out his a small cylindrical device and embraced her closely. He depressed the button on the top end of the device and they dematerialized in a transporter effect to rematerialize in front of the Rouen House in Paris. "Portable short range transporter."

Toareth was impressed, but figured as much. Security personnel usually had means of escape. In this case, a means to escape the clock as much as they could. A walk back would have taken at least half an hour. This way, they still had 2 hours and 50 minutes to...

René led Toar inside and nodded to his parents and siblings sitting around the fireplace, a yule log ablaze. He took Toar by the hand as they mounted the stairs and moments later entered his bedroom. He turned to her and kissed her passionately for a solid minute, perhaps longer. He finally broke the kiss and smiled at her. He then spoke the same four words she had spoken to him each night she had snuck to his room. "Make love to me."

And each of those times, he did, in fact, make love to her. But they would always stop themselves before 'going all the way' as the humans like to say. This time, however, was the first time René spoke those words to her, giving her the green light to perform as she willed. She jumped at him and he instinctively caught her; each hand with a handful of buttocks. She leaned forward with her weight, forcing him off balance and the pair fell onto the bed.

"The next...oh however long...will be unforgettable."

FADE TO BLACK

 

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