Collision course
A/N: Wow, sorry to all my readers, if you are still reading that it's taken me so long to get back to this, but my life has been a total gong show for the last eight months, that if I wrote it all down, it could probably be a hit comedy on a late night network. Everything from moving into a new place, to braking up with my girl, to her taking almost everything, including the ice-cube trays.... But that's another story all together.
Anyways, on with the show!
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She was bouncing in her seat, this was going to be her first visit to the Vanguard fleet, and she was part of multi talented group of stars that were going to help raise sprits of those in the fleet. As she looked out the port side window of the shuttle she could see the running lights of the larger ships, but one of the ships was holding her attention.
"Would you please stop fidgeting around? You're acting like this is your first big show Mina!" said the voice of the person sitting beside her.
Mina Kross turned to look at him, it was her co-star from Angel Feathers, the boy that had played the role of her father, she opened her mouth to speak, when she heard the shuttle pilot announce that there were on final approach to the Seraphim, as she got that news she became even more bouncy.
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As she stood at the stairs leading down from the shuttle, she was looking at all of the people standing in groups according to uniform colour, but she was looking for one person first and foremost, seeing him, her face lit up, and she went running down the stairs, and over to him.
At five feet from him, he tossed herself at him, slamming into his chest, and wrapping her arms around him, as she said gleefully "Hi Daddy!"
She felt his arms warp around her, and his soft voice spoke "Hi sweet-heart. Would you like your own room on ship, or..." before he could finish she said, "I want to stay with you, it's been over a year since I got to see you Daddy, and I brought pictures of Mom and James, and some letters too." She squeezed him tighter, not wanting to let go of her father.
Standing in amongst the pilots on board the Seraphim, stood Ensign Rin Yamato, his black and white uniform finally looking as if it fit him, and he couldn't help but think this was going to be trouble.
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Her set was just finishing, it was her last song of the night, and it was the one she was looking forward to the most, as it would let her walk around the people that were here to see her, and sit in the lap of one lucky guy, just as she finished. She had looked over the audience and spotted the boy, that she was going to do that too, his short brown hair, and soft violate eyes, but she could day dream about those later. She pulled off the long evening gown she had warn in her last song, and was now in something that most would consider lingerie, and she couldn't help but smile, it'd taken almost two years now, but she was comfortable with herself, and how she looked, and nothing would take that from her now.
As the music kicked up, she jumped out on stage again, and started;
Baby, what do you want to do? I'm driving.
My hands are on the handle bars and I'm standing by.
(Do you) want my heart & want my love?
NO!? Forget that, let's swing and KISS!
She started to blow kisses out to every man in the audience, before waving her right index finger back and forth;
I say "NO" to a half-baked style.
A LOVE that makes me soar is for me.
Beautiful! Excuse me!
If you wish for them, lalala, possibilities.
Point, I don't care. Dollars, how much fake?
Point, one in two,
But if there's love, then do it!
She jumped off the stage at this point, and started to walk around the audience making her way to the second row;
What 'bout my star?
Let me know what you want, I would give you!
How fantastic to be with you. My love!
Even if this love is a lie, GO!
You only get one shot, so let's make it Exciting!
Wonderful! Charming you!
I want to GET you, lalala.
We'll sing around the world.
3. Hey, I count down.
2. Are you ready?
1. I can't wait anymore.
0. Let my love be heard!
She had found her target, and gently touched his arm, and smiled at him, as she moved to be facing him;
What 'bout my star?
What 'bout my star?
What 'bout my star?
What 'bout my star?
What 'bout my star?
My romantic date with you!!
Give me your miracle kiss.
Our emotional date
At this point she found herself straddling the lap of the boy she had set her sights on, well facing him;
Let me know what you want, I would give you!
How fantastic to be with you. My love!
And with that she kissed him.
With her microphone now off, she broke the kiss, then leaned in closer to him, to whisper in his ear, "I missed you." Before she leaned back, and ran her gloved left index finger along his lower jaw.
She stood and walked back to the stage, but before she ducked back behind the curtain she blew more kisses to the audience. And the boy that she had kissed sank into his seat, well the girl that was beside him, just glared at him.
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On the bridge of the Seraphim, Alexander found himself just looking at the screen, his coffee and mug all over the floor, the women on the bridge with him, were just as speechless, it was the blond one at the CIC that spoke first, "Wow, Captain, your daughter sure is grown up, isn't she?"
It took Alexander a few moments to recover, before he said, "More then I'd like to admit at this point... Still it was a good show; she has come a long way."
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"Lisa, I'm sorry! What more do you want me to say? She probably picked me, because we've been friends for a long time!" said Rin as he walked with his girl-friend Ensign Lisa Cooper.
Lisa wore a white bridge officer's uniform, her shoulder length blond hair, and deep blue eyes gave her a look that a lot of men found attractive, though she had a slightly slender build, she was still almost five foot eight. Yet right now she was fuming at her boy-friend, hands on her hips, "So that made it okay, for her to stick her tongue down your throat? I don't care if she's famous, or the Captain's daughter, or a friend of yours! Acting like that, she's nothing more than a cheap slut! Did you even see what she was wearing or were you too busy looking at her 'assets'?"
"Lisa, Mina is just a friend, nothing more. You are the woman for me, you make me happy..." he kissed her as he said that.
"That's all I am? Just a friend?" came a voice that pulled Rin out of the kiss, to see a girl with blondish red hair, down around her shoulders, her amber eyes filling with tears, she looked to the girl that Rin was pressing against, and yelled at her, "You can have him!" before she took off running.
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It was getting late, by the time Alexander had gotten back to his cabin, as the door slid open, he heard the tell tale sound of sobbing, and he sighed to himself as he let the door close, before heading back to the bridge. Once on the bridge he located one of his younger crew-women, and pulled her aside, "Megan, this is kind of embarrassing and a bit personal, but may I ask you a question?"
The red-headed radar operator blinked at her Captain, he'd made it a point to not ask about the personal lives of those under him, she tiled her head to the side, before she said, "Depending on the question, I don't mind Sir."
Alexander sighed again, before he said, "I've got a crying 18 year old daughter, in my cabin right now, and I don't know what to do, I'd ask my wife, but by the time my question would get there, my daughter would already be on her way home..."
Megan couldn't help but smirk and try to suppress her amusement, though failing at it, "When in doubt, chocolate, and if that fails, then ice-cream. And if it's boy trouble, go right for the ice-cream, triple chocolate.... I know the galley has some, you can't have this many women on board, and not have any."
"Thanks Megan, I really appreciate the help, and feel free to sleep in tomorrow, I won't let it come up as you being late." Said Alexander as he started to go down to the galley.
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Again he found himself in front of his cabin door, though this time with a pint of triple chocolate ice-cream, and two spoons, the chef had recommended two spoons for this, said something about, 'father-daughter bonding experience'. As the door opened, he heard her soft sobbing.
He sat beside her, on the edge of the bed, and put the ice-cream on the night stand, along with the spoons, before he gently touched her blondish red hair. As he did that, she sat up, her eyes puffy and red, she sniffed, well she shoulders shuttered. He placed an arm around her, well taking the ice-cream and two spoons in the other, and showing them to her.
She smiled at her dad, and leaned against him well taking one of the spoons, before she spoke, "Had to go get help huh?"
"Yea, I did. I've never had to deal with trouble like this... I was usually the cause of it." He said to her, as he took the cap off the ice-cream, "I guess you ran into Rin and Lisa."
Mina licked the spoon in her mouth, as she looked at her dad, and as her mind worked out something to say, that wouldn't make her sound like a spoiled brat, "So, was I the only one, who didn't know? Or was it done, just to make me look like a cheap slut, when I did that number?"
Alexander leaned back against the pillows, before he spoke, well twisting the spoon in the ice-cream, "It wasn't my place to tell you, that Rin started dating her, about eight months ago... Did you and Rin ever talk about what you were or are to one another?"
She wanted to just yell at her dad for that, but like always, he didn't beat around the bush, he got right to the subject, she both loved that and hated that about him. She leaned back, and put her head on his shoulder, "No, we never did... I just thought we were a couple after a month of use making out, and going out place together... But apparently 'I was just a friend'.... I guess I can't balm him for finding her, she's kind of pretty, it just...."
"Sucks, I know it does. When I first came to this reality, I had been dumped by the woman I was going to marry, not even six months before I got here, and in the video-mail she sent me, she had her new guy walk in, and kiss her. I know, little comfort right?" said Alexander as he rubbed Mina's right shoulder.
"The worst part Daddy, is I put my privet life on hold for Rin, I haven't kissed a boy, that wasn't part of my job, since the last time I kissed Rin, before he went away to training..." she took another spoon-full.
"Well sweet-heart, you've got three options, one; you can just give up and walk away from him, two; you can be mean and nasty to Rin and Lisa, or three; you can fight for him. Now I like Rin, he's a good kid, and a good pilot... but off of what I saw tonight with you on stage, I think you is out of his league. And I think he knows it too, and that's probably why he settled for Ensign Cooper." Said Alex, as he took his first spoon full.
Mina looked at her dad, she had never really talked with him before, she smiled and laughed a little, "You really are trying to make me feel better, and I can see why guys almost never try. But thanks Daddy, you are helping... have you had a chance to see the mail I brought with me yet?"
Alex shook his head for a no, before he got up, and put the disk in the player, then got back onto the bed, with Mina.
The screen was black for a few moments, before something was starting to move, and they could see a baby's face taking up the entire screen, giving a toothless smile, as Murrue's voice could be heard, "Now come away from there you, the camera isn't baby proof!"
Murrue pulled her son into her lap, and looked at the camera, before she continued;
"Hi Alex, and I'm going to bet Mina's with you too. I miss you both, but I think I miss you more Alex..." she winked, before she went on, "Don't worry Mina, I miss your dad in a different way, then I do you. As you can see, James is getting bigger, and starting to crawl everywhere now! I hope everything is going well for you, and I hope you're staying out of trouble, Alex. I wish you were home with us, but I know you too well, that you'd be restless planet side. You could never get the hang of living on them, I remember when we first moved in together, you used to complain that it was two quite all the time, no hum of the engines, or that the air didn't smell right..."
She gave a sweet smile, "I bet you didn't know that about your Dad did you Mina? That till we came to Orb that first time, his feet had never touched a planet before... So I really hope that the two of you take this chance to get to know each other, I know we've not been a perfect family, and that being apart for so long can't have been good but take this time, to build bridges between you two. I look forward to you coming home, and seeing you both again. I love you Alex, please stay safe."
With that the she leaned forward and clicked the off button, and the screen went blank for a little while. Alex, was about to turn off the player, before it came back to life, with Murrue dressed in very little, before she could open her mouth he hit the off button, and looked back to Mina, her mouth was just hanging open, and she was pointing at the screen.
"I'll watch that part later, in privet... as it's meant for my eyes and ears only." He said, with a slight red huge coming to his cheeks.
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I do hope you all have enjoyed this part, and I'm sorry that it took so long for me to get it written, as I said, my life had just gone completely insane for the last eight months.
I also hope to have this one wrapped up, in a few more parts, and I'm also planning on giving part 8 of Feathers and Bones a re-write, to give it a better, and more fitting ending.
So again, thank you for reading this far.