Let Me Give You a Piece of Advice, Pallie…

Posted on Sun Sep 3rd, 2023 @ 9:30am by Lieutenant Commander Andrew "Drew" Chandler & Lieutenant Alula Beru

1,263 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: https://www.uss-deliverance.starfleetuk.org/index.php/sim/missions/id/1
Location: Deep Space Nine, Vic Fontaine's Holo Suite
Timeline: Before the USS Deliverance arrives

”Here’s to trouble free tomorrows, May your sorrows all be small. Here’s to the losers! Here’s to the losers! Here’s to the losers-Bless them all!”

Drew entered Vic's lounge during the lounge singer's final song of a set. He was in uniform as it was his meal break for the duty watch. He took a seat at a table and ordered up a lemonade, not sure if the butterflies in his stomach would be able to handle solid food. His drink arrived as Vic was finishing up his set. The server intercept Vic as he stepped down off the stage and handed him a martini glass.

Vic Fontaine, dressed to the nines in a sharp midnight black tuxedo and crisp white shirt, sang out his last note amidst cheers from the audience. Behind him the gold stage curtains shimmered in the diffused dim wash of the floodlights, while in blue glittering letters his name sparkled, from the changing kaleidoscope of colors of the backlighting. He gifted the audience w/ a dazzling smile, saying, “Thank you, everyone. You’ve been great!” He fixed his microphone on the stand and hopped down from the stage, taking his dry martini from the beautiful young server who knew to automatically bring him one at the close of each set.

Out of habit Vic scanned the crowd to see if he had any new patrons and tonight there was a new face. He saw Drew sitting by himself on the opposite side of the lounge w/ an unhappy expression on his face. Here looked like a man who needed cheering up, so Vic made his way across the room, nodding to the regulars and shaking hands.

Vic stopped at Drew’s table and in a cheerful, yet concerned tone, said, “ Hey Pallie! Why the long face?”

Drew sighed and gave Vic a slight chuckle. "Ever the observant one the Vic." Drew was always amazed at how Vic could pick up on nonverbal ques people projected. If Drew ever found a method of getting Vic one of those portable holo emitters that the Voyagers EMH had, he was going to offer him a job in Starfleet. He gestured for Vic to take a seat.

Taking a seat across from him, Vic took a sip from his drink, and then said chuckling, “Well, I have to be. I’m written that way. But you, you, look like you lost your best friend and that lemonade isn’t helping you find him. Tell me what I can do to help?”

Drew shook his head. He didn't no what to make of his relationship with Jenny. He had not held any kind of romantic interest in another woman since the death of his wife. "I met someone and...we've started to develop a good connection to one another."

"Well, that's fantastic news!" Vic exclaimed throwing his hands in the air. "Let's celebrate!" He snapped his fingers at the waitress to call her over and was about to order a bottle of champagne, when Drew stopped him.

Drew held up his hand, signaling it was a bit premature to start celebrating. "It is a bit more complicated than that...we...I ended up staying the night in her quarters. I didn't think about anyone else or what doing that could mean to my family."

Vic looked slightly confused, as if there was something he was missing. “Your family?” he questioned. Then suddenly, leaned in and asked in a secretive tone, “Did you marry the Dame?”

Drew chuckled slightly and shook his head in denial. Vic leaned back and threw up his hands casually, saying, “Then there’s nothing to worry about, Daddy-O. So, you did a little Backseat Bingo. That’s great! What’s the problem?”

"I don't know." Drew's expression displayed confusion. "If it were a matter of developing this relationship with just the two of us it would be simple. I have a daughter to consider and a sister who has spent most of the last six years helping me raise my daughter. It's sort of a package deal. What if Jenny doesn't want to...become a part of that dynamic?"

Vic knowingly inclined his head toward Drew and said, “ Maybe you should ask her.” He held up a finger, so he could continue, “Or is it less of this Doll and your family and more of something else shaking your chain and holding you back?”

Being a specialized holo-program, Vic had some privileges other programs didn't. He accessed Drew's StarFleet personnel file and suddenly understood the man's inner conflict. It was always tough when the heart was involved.

Vic had known friends who had lost loved ones and those that had lost the loves of their life. He saw friends wasting away in their grief; friends who could not get past the loss. And it was heartbreaking.

"Listen, Pallie, it doesn't take a genius to see what your wife meant to you. She was the love of your life. I get it. That kind of love sears through your heart all the way down to your soul. And when it's gone..."

He paused for a moment, then continued sadly, "...it's just gone. And you grieve. You grieve and you hurt. And I believe you grief in direct proportion to how much you've loved. Where there's deep grief, there was deep love. But grief can be an anchor, Pallie. You get used to the weight, you know, how it holds you in place."

Vic was quiet for a moment, letting that sink in. He took a sip of his martini, looked around the lounge, then back at Drew and continued.

"If you don't get out there, take a chance, you are going to die. Not all at once, but little by little. Eventually you become as hollow as I am. Look, kid, I don't know what's going to happen to you w/ this girl. You just got on this ship. You are going to meet all kinds of crazy cats. Maybe she's the one for you. Maybe she'll just help you get past the pain of losing your wife. Or maybe she'll become a good friend. But what I do know is you've got to play the cards life deals you. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose...but at least you're in the Game."

He swallowed back the remainder of his drink and stood up. Putting his hand on Drew's shoulder, he said, " The weird thing about devastating loss is that life does actually go on. You are faced w/ a tragedy, a loss so great, you haven't a clue how you are going to live through it. But somehow, kid, the world keeps turning. And you live. And you learn to love again. That's the crazy thing about life, too. You can't live too cautiously."

Vic took a step back "Heck, you can step off a curb and twist your ankle, right? So, you might as well go live it." He grinned at him and pointed his finger in salute, then hurried to the stage to begin his next set.

Opening w/ "The Best Is Yet To Come" he dedicated it to Drew.

Drew listened to Vic's opening number. It wasn't long before a wistful smile crept to his face. Vic was right. Nothing ventured meant nothing gained. He finished his lemonade and handed the empty glass, along with a five dollar bill to the passing waitress who had brought him his drink earlier. He gave Vic a two finger salute and headed for the exit.

 

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