<USS Avalon> "La Bella Rose"

"La Bella Rose"
By: Lt. Jg. Melanie Redgrave
 
“Computer, access personal files for Redgrave, Melanie and download  holodeck 
program La Bella Rose.” 
 
Between the Flubb murder case and the personal tornado that her life seemed  
to be spinning in, downtime, personal time, and de-stressing had taken a back  
seat in a big way. Melanie could feel the last few weeks, hell the last few  
months, painfully settling into her muscles and tainting her moods. She had 
done  her job, she had IDed the murder and tied up all the evidence which 
including a  positive DNA match off the gun, into a nice little prosecutable 
bow.  
She’d  turned all her information over to Skyler and Ketchum; the next move 
was 
theirs  to make. 
 
As a reward and as a lifeline to save what was left of her sanity Melanie  
had booked a holodeck for the evening. She had known exactly which program she  
was going to run and had pulled her favorite evening gown form her closest. 
The  dress was satin, a soft black in color, full length, and straight out of 
Earth‘s  1940‘s era. It hugged tightly, perfectly, to the curves of 
Melanie’s 
chest,  waist, and hips. The neck line was cut low enough to see just a hint of 
 cleavage, the back was open and cut low to the small of Melanie’s back, the  
shelves were long and tight, and there was a thigh high slit on the left  
side.
 
She had even done her long dark hair to match the setting that awaited her  
inside holodeck two. It was down and curled into long silken waves that framed  
her pale face and drew out the sharpness of her green eyes. Her jewelry was  
simple, a simple gold locket around her neck, simple gold post ear rings, a 
gold  charm bracelet around her right wrist, and a plan gold chain bracelet 
around her  left ankle. She had even dabbed perfume on her pulse points, and 
the 
over all  effect had turned more then a few heads as Melanie made the short 
journey from  her quarters to the gray doors she now stood in front of. The 
reactions of her  fellow crewmen, both male and female, had made Melanie smile. 
 
“Program complete. Enter when ready.” Finally came the computer’s 
feminine  
response. 
 
The large hydraulic doors of the holodeck opened with their trademark  whoosh 
of air and Melanie stepped carefully inside. When the doors closed behind  
her she was completely surrounded by a near perfect replica of a 1940s cabaret  
night club that could have been the height of night life in 1940s Paris or New 
 York. 
 
The lights were dim, the air smoky, the sounds of clicking glasses,  murmured 
chatting, a piano, and the smooth alto-soprano of a woman singing all  
clamored for Melanie’s attention. She stepped closer to the railing that  
separated 
the entrance from the rest of the club and looked down into the large  room. 
There was a bar to her left that ran from one end of the room to the  other, 
and was raised slightly higher then the main part of the room. Three  young men 
dressed in white tuxedos were fixing drink orders there in front of a  
backdrop of solid oak shelves lined with bottles and bottles of alcohol, and  
rows of 
ever kind of glassware you could think of. 
 
Across from the bar was a stage. The La Bella Rose played host to countless  
performers from all eras of Earths history, thanks mostly in part to 
Melanie’s 
 programming skills and her obsession with what she called quality music. 
Melanie  stood frozen in place as the petite redhead who stood on stage near a 
black  grand piano and a small in house orchestra, continued to sing. A small 
smile  tugged at the corner of her lips as she felt the tension of her life 
easing out  of her body to join the swirling cigarette smoke that was rising 
from 
the mass  of small round tables that took up the space between the stage and 
the bar. 
 
Melanie continued to stand there watching the beauty on stage until she  
thought she heard her name being called. She turned her head to look down into  
the crowd to see if she could see anyone she knew when she heard her named  
called out again. Finally she caught sight of a man walking across the room  
towards her waving his arm and wearing a warming smile. 
 
The man wore a black tuxedo that made him look quiet handsome for a man of  
his advanced age. His hair had a touch more silver then Melanie had remembered, 
 but somehow on him it just managed to make him look even more the  
gentlemen.  Melanie smiled as she watched him climb the four carpeted steps  to 
the 
landing in which she stood. 
 
“Ah my dearest Natalia.” The man crooned as he opened his arms for a hug.  
“
It has been to long since I’ve seen that pretty face of yours.”
 
Natalia was Melanie’s middle name and she used it on her ‘golden aged’  
programs because she felt it sounded more European then just plain Melanie. The 
 
smile on her face nearly reached her eyes as Melanie stepped into the awaiting  
hug. “It’s good to see you too, Toddy.” 
 
The man hugged Melanie tightly before letting her go, but keeping her at  
arms length to look her over. “You’ve been working to hard again haven’t 
you,  
you naughty girl. Well, Ol’ Uncle Toddy knows how to cure those aches and 
pains.  Come on you’ll join us for the evening.” 
 
Melanie nodded as she accepted Toddy’s offered elbow. She wondered who her  
old friend had with him this evening. It was always hard to tell since Melanie  
had programmed in a plethora of characters, actors, and entertainers from old 
 Earth movies, plays, and musicals. Toddy himself was a recreation of a 
character  from an old movie about a woman pretending to be a man who was 
pretending to be  a woman.
 
There were four other people at Toddy’s table. The couple Melanie  recognized 
as a random couple that the program threw in from time to time to  keep the 
characters in the program fresh. If Melanie recalled the last time  they’d 
popped up, their names were Maxwell and Leigh Bauer, American’s from  
Chicago. She 
smiled polity at them as she and Toddy approached the table. 
 
“Look who I found standing by the door like a lost lamb.” Toddy said as he  
placed a hand in the small of Melanie’s back and pushing her forward ever so  
slightly. 
 
The only other person that Melanie knew at the table, the handsome dark  
haired husband of the redhead on stage, quickly got to his feet and headed over 
 
to her with a smile. “It’s about time you got yourself back to Paris.” 
 
Melanie laughed as she kissed him quickly. “Hello to you too  Michael.”
 
Michael waved his hand towards an empty chair next to his and then pulled  it 
out for Melanie, while Toddy filled a crystal flute with champagne. Melanie  
smiled as she took it from him and then sipped it as she glanced at the sandy  
haired young man she didn’t know. 
 
Toddy laughed. “That my dearest is Philippe.” 
 
From the tone of Toddy’s voice Melanie knew that Philippe was Toddy’s  
flavor of the month. She smiled welcoming at the young man who took her free  
hand 
and kissed it as she greeted him. 
 
“Give the lady her hand back, Philippe.” Toddy said with a sigh when the  
young sandy haired man held onto Melanie’s hand a little to long. “You’re 
not  
her type. You’re mine.” 
 
Melanie laughed before being asked by Toddy, “Speaking of types, where is  
that darling raven-haired beauty with the unique ears you had with you last  
time. Oh what was her name? I swear I‘m becoming an old man before my own  
eyes.”
 
A faint blush colored Melanie’s cheeks and the bridge of her nose.  
“T’Arah.”
 
 
Toddy lit up. “That’s it! Why is she not with you?” 
 
Melanie’s blush deepened. “She couldn’t come this trip, besides Toddy,  
we’
re just friends.” 
 
The lines around Toddy’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at Melanie. “Sure you  
were my dearest, just like Philippe and I are just ‘friends‘.”
 
Philippe, who Melanie was guessing wasn’t the brightest color in the French  
rainbow, looked confused by Toddy’s statement. Melanie felt her face grow 
warmer  yet. She was about to reply to Toddy’s comment but someone else was 
about 
to  beat her to it. 
 
“Toddy! What a horrible analogy! To compare anything Natalia may have to  
your conquests! How utterly rude of you. Now leave the child alone before I 
make  
you get up there and fill in during my break.” 
 
All the men at the table stood up the moment they noticed the redhead from  
the stage was now standing next to the table. Toddy tipped his head to her with 
 that trademark playboy smile of his. “My apologies, Red.” 
 
They all remained standing as Red waved off Toddy and turned to look at  
Melanie. “So you just going to sit there kido, or are you going to give an 
old  
hack a hug.” 
 
Melanie rose to her feet with a mischievous grin. “Show me an old hack and  
I’
ll hug them.”
 
Red rolled her eyes and tisked as she reached out and pulled Melanie into a  
hug. The two women laughed a little and then took their seats. As Melanie sat  
between Red and Michael talking to the others and listening to the string  
quartet that was playing while Red took a break, Melanie could feel herself  
become more and more relaxed. The champagne, which was real since the program  
was tapped into the replication system, might have helped in her new relaxed  
feeling, but Melanie didn’t care she’d come to escape her crazy ass life 
and  
that’s what she was doing. 
 
As the evening wore on the Bauers had taken their leave of the group, Toddy  
had ordered yet another bottle of champagne, Red had done another set, and the 
 boys had all gone off to smoke cigars in the back leaving Red and Melanie 
alone  at the table catching up. 
 
“So tell me what happen with your search. Did you find what you where  
looking for?” Red asked innocently. 
 
Melanie’s eyes grew dark as she looked down at her glass. She’d forgotten  
about telling Red about looking for her birth family. She took a small sip from 
 her glass and sighed a little before finally nodding. “My parents were 
killed  during the war, but I have an older sister.” 
 
Red put her hand on Melanie’s arm comfortingly. “I’m sorry to hear about  
your parents, kido, but I’m glad you’ve found someone still around. You 
wanted  
to find that connection so badly.” 
 
For a moment Melanie wished she hadn’t created long term interaction  
subroutines for her holograms, but then the feeling past and as she looked up  
into 
the pools of chocolate that were Red’s eyes she was glad she had someone to  
confide in. “Problem is she doesn’t remember me and wants nothing to do 
with  
me.”
 
“She’ll come around just give her time.” Red said with a reassuring 
smile. 
 
Melanie smiled too and then the women sat quietly for a few moments before  
Red asked about T'Arah. Melanie was about to answer her but didn’t get a 
change.  A small man with a bad comb over walked up to the table ringing his 
hands. 
 
“Pardon my intrusion, Madam Red.” The man said looking at Red through  
hooded lids. 
 
Red sighed. “What is it Eduard?”
 
“The young man who was to sing during your rest he is, well, he is drunk  and 
has passed out in the dressing room. Madam Bell hates to ask, but she has  
sent me to ask you if you would..” 
 
“I have a better idea my good man.” Toddy said as he clapped the small man  
on the shoulder. He then looked down at Melanie with a wide toothy smile. 
 
Melanie shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. “Oh no! No  Toddy 
absolutely not! I haven‘t sung in ages!”
 
Melanie hadn’t a snow balls chance in hell once Red had joined in with  
Toddy. All it had taken was that pouty lip, big old doe eyes, and a reminder  
that 
Red herself had taught Melanie the finer points of voice, and Melanie could  
feel her resolve crumbling. She shook her head as she walked onto the stage and 
 over to the piano. She had to think for a moment of what song to do and then 
 whispered something to Red’s pianist and then stepped up to the mike.  
 
She gave her friends a look that she was doing this against her will and  
only because they had asked so ‘sweetly’, and then smiled at the crowd as 
she  
heard Red’s voice introduce her as a close friend who was doing her a favor.  
Then with a nod from Red the pianist behind Melanie started to play the opening 
 bars, and then Melanie, with her husky alto, sometime when she tried really 
hard  soprano, voice began to sing. 
 
“No one here to guide you,
Now you're on your own.  
Only me beside you . . . 
Still, you're not alone. 
No one is alone,  truly. 
No one is alone.” 
 
“Sometimes people leave you 
Halfway through the wood.  
Others may deceive you 
You decide what's good. 
You decide alone,  
But no one is alone.” 
 
“People make mistakes, 
Fathers, mothers, 
People  make mistakes 
Holding to their own, 
Thinking they're alone. 
Honor  their mistakes 
Everybody makes 
one another's terrible  mistakes.”
 
“Witches can be right, 
Giants can be good. 
You  decide what's right 
You decide what's good.” 
 
“Just remember . . .”
 
“Someone is on your side. 
Someone else is not.  
While you're seeing your side 
maybe you forgot: 
They are not alone.  
No one is alone.”
 
“Hard to see the light now 
Just don't let it go.  
Things will come out right now 
We can make it so. 
Someone is on your  side 
No one is alone.”
 
*”No One is Alone” Music and Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim,  from the 
musical, 
“Into the Woods”

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