[USS Tempest] Raktajino Au Lait by Viviana Lazarra-Henderson & Rosie Le Beau

 
 
***Takes place before 'Coincidences' on Tempest
 
It had been a night of interruptions.  The first one was thoroughly  
welcomed.  Nathaniel was such a sweetheart to bring her dinner. The second  
interruption was eventually welcomed even though Byron's knowledge of her  
relationship 
with Nathaniel bothered her, despite assurances from both men that  all would 
work out.  The third one...well...Jord was a bit different, to  put it mildly, 
but she supposed she was, too.  We'll see about him, she  told herself.  I 
guess we ought to give the man a chance.  
 
 

She still smelled Nat's shaving soap on her as she headed for  the station.  
They had both figured that eating breakfast together, after  she spent the 
night with him, would be the equivalent of hanging out a flashing  sign 
advertising their status.  Too bad, she thought with a grin.  I  would love to 
see if 
what Roberta says is true.  A man that tall can't live  on tea for breakfast.  
I hope this day turns out better than  yesterday.
 
Vivie slipped out of bed as quietly as she could  so she wouldn't wake Alex. 
They'd spent another wonderful night reconnecting,  but now it was time for a 
little alone time. With everything going on, Josh,  Tawny, the weird behavior 
of the women in her department, Vivie needed to think.  So after taking a hot 
shower, throwing her long curly red mass of hair into a  pony tail, and 
leaving Alex a note she headed out onto the promenade. A little  window 
shopping 
always worked wonders for clearing the mind. 
 
Rosie wasn't sure what she was planning on doing really.  She was too  
annoyed to be hungry but she knew that something was called for.  She  almost 
giggled at the sight of a raktajino kiosk.  Cafe au lait  raktajino?  This is 
too 
good to pass up.  I wonder how it  tastes?  
 
Stepping up to the kiosk's tender, she asked, "Excuse me for asking but  
how's a Klingon know about the first national drink of New Orleans?"
 
"What is the second?" the huge man asked.
 
"Hurricanes but they aren't made with coffee..."
 
"That would be blasphemous." Vivie added as she walked  up to the kiosk. 
She'd left the suite without having her morning coffee and she  was starting to 
feel that effects of not having her caffeine jump start. 
 
Rosie turned at the sound of the familiar accent.  She didn't know how  long 
it had been since she'd seen the redhead but it was definitely before the  war.
 
"Vivie Lazzara, I don't believe it!  What brings you out to the front  end of 
nowhere?" Rosie asked.  Out of habit, she greeted the other woman  with a 
brief hug and a kiss.  "I'm glad to see you made it through the  war."
 
"Without a dancing red curl out of place." Vivie  replied as she slipped five 
slivers of latinum at the Klingon working the  counter as payment for both of 
their  raktajinos. "It's good to see you again, Rosie, and  looking so well." 
Vivie said quickly before the other woman could protest over  the money. 
"How's your Mama and Père?"
 
"They're fine.  I was on shore leave at home before I transferred and  came 
out here. I got a chance to slip down to the Quarter before I went  away, 
though.  My lord but it was sweltering," Rosie replied.  "How  about your 
mamas?"
 
"Mama's fine as always." Vivie replied as she slipped  into a seat across 
from her old friend. The girls had meet at the academy,  having been in the 
same 
class year. "Mum's still reeling from my marriage, but  at least she likes 
Alex, T is another story." Vivie smiled brightly after taking  a sip of her 
coffee. "Eddie's fine as well by the  way." 
 
"You got married?"  Rosie exclaimed.  Her whole face lit  up.  "That's 
fantastic!  Is it a Fleet marriage or did you snag  yourself a civilian?"  
 
She was interested for two obvious reasons.  First, because she just  really 
wanted to know.  Vivie was one of the few people in her class who  didn't shun 
her after the whole chess piece incident.  It was shortly after  that that 
she'd met the cousin she never knew she had.  The second reason  was more 
personal.  If it was working for Vivie and this Alex, maybe it'd  work for her 
and 
Nathaniel one day.  
 
She realized she sounded like an idiot but it was so nice to get a break  
from the Tempest's fussiness.  "And where's Eddie?  I haven't seen him  in so 
long it isn't even funny."
 
Vivie smiled at the thought of Alex. Holding out her  hand so Rosie could see 
her rings she started to answer the other woman's  questions. "We were 
married almost a year ago. It's Fleet, she's a Lieutenant  Commander; works Tac 
on 
the Georgetown. And Marine Captain Le Beau is on the  Georgie with us. I think 
he's either trying to break Captain Kirk's little black  book record or your 
Père's." Vivie laughed lightly at the last comment. Vivie  would never forget 
the time their parents meet. She thought for sure that Mrs.  Le Beau and her 
Mum were gonna blow their gaskets cause  Remy kept flirting with her Mama.  
 
Rosie grabbed the other woman's hand to inspect the rings she was  
displaying.  "They're beautiful," she said warmly.   "Congratulations!  I want 
to meet 
her before we ship out."  She shook  her head at Vivie's description of her 
cousin's antics.  And her  father's.  "You know, I would have visited his 
GrandMama while I was down  there but whatever bad feelings there between her 
and 
Daddy are a bit too tense  for me.  Last time I was there, I got the impression 
she wanted me to  leave.  But Eddie's on board with you?  I didn't know that."
 
Eddie's grandmother, despite how much Vivie liked  and respected her, was a 
foolish old woman when it came to Rosie's father.  He and Rosie were different 
and for that she shunned them. "Yeap, he's in  charge of out marine regiment. 
Though I have a sneaking suspension  that he's also there to keep an eye on 
me." Vivie chuckled. "You should go  see him before you leave. We'll be here a 
while. Maybe we can all have dinner  that way you can meet Alex. Though I have 
to warn you she's the jealous type."  Vivie winked at the other woman and then 
laughed again. They'd been nothing more  then friends, though that never 
stopped Vivie from flirting. "So tell me what  you've been up to, mon amie?"
 
"That big dope!  He never told me you guys were even on the same  ship," 
Rosie said with a chuckle.  She'd never even known about her cousin  until she 
met 
Vivie at the Academy.  He's a smooth one like Daddy, that's  for sure, she 
told herself with a chuckle.  Her mouth twitched at the words  'jealous type'.  
Nathaniel wasn't jealous, she thought, so much as  insecure.  I wonder...I 
have to talk to somebody about this... "You  remember I was engaged to Magni 
Asgardson?  The coward expected me to drop  everything I just got by being 
promoted to Chief Engineer just to be with him on  the Wilderness.  He wouldn't 
even 
think about transferring.  I,  ah, kinda slugged him at Quark's yesterday.  
It's for the best any  way..."
 
"I never liked him. His royalness was a creep." Vivie  replied as she sipped 
more foam from her coffee. "I hope you knocked his teeth  out. Chief Engineer? 
Congrats, Rosie!" Vivie smiled brightly.  "But something's telling me that 
your promotion isn't the only thing  makin' those hazel eyes of yours dance and 
sparkle."  
 
Out of habit, Rosie looked around before she spoke in a quiet voice.   "I met 
this man while I was at Sisko's eating dinner.  Viv, you have to see  him!  
He's drop dead gorgeous and he's got the sexiest accent."  She  knew she 
sounded like a silly teenager but that was how Nathaniel made her  feel.  "And 
he's 
a classy guy, too.  There's only one problem."
 
"Don't tell me he's another uppity  prince."
 
"No, he's anything but, actually.  We didn't know it when we met but  he's 
Fleet, too, only he's an NCO, a grade four warrant officer.  I don't  care and 
he doesn't care but you know how it goes.  The really weird part  is is he's 
Captain Craig's aide.  I thought Nathaniel was going to choke on  his tea when 
he realized who I was," she explained.  "He keep saying that  he's got enough 
time in the Fleet that he doesn't care if they punish him but he  doesn't want 
me to get demoted or worse because of him."
 
"Rosie, I don't think Fleet would punish anyone for  having a relationship. I 
met and married Alex on our last assignment together  and the only thing that 
came from that was we had to make a choice. We either  had to serve apart or 
transfer together to a Galaxy or Sovereign class. That's  how we ended up on 
the Georgie." Leaning forward, Vivie looked her friend in the  eyes. "What you 
got to look out for is the attitudes about NCOs  and officers."
 
"That's just it--he is an NCO.  The one good thing in our  favor is that I 
served with Captain Craig on our last ship and Nathaniel is in  pretty good 
with 
her because they've known each other for so long.  I'm not  lookin' for any 
favors but I bet she'd take that all into account."  She  let out a sigh then 
shook her head.  "I don't want to be so gloomy, though.  I want to take you up 
on that dinner idea, though.  You could meet  Nathaniel, I could meet Alex, 
and Eddie...well, Eddie can be himself."
 
Vivie laughed. "Could he be anything else?" She  couldn't wait to meet this 
Nathaniel person. He must be something else to have  put that sparkle in her 
friend's eyes. "Tell your Captain, Rosie. IF y'alls as  close as you said, 
she'll be a ally that you'll need on your side." Vivie paused  before 
continuing. 
"I better be getting back before Alex wakes up. Dinner  tomorrow night say 
eight thirty, our suite? We have a kitchen and I can fix us  up some real down 
home food." 
 
Rosie stood and gave her friend a warm hug.  "I have to get back to  the ship 
any way.  It's been misbehaving and probably misbehaving more  while I was 
gone.  We'll be there, Viv.  Count on  it."

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