All About the Heart: Chapter Three
Disclaimer: The characters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine belong to the franchise for Star Trek Deep Space Nine ™. I do not claim possession of any copyrighted characters. Any and all other characters belong to me and may not be used without my permission.
Rating: PG
Characters: Vic Fontaine, Dr. Julian Bashir, Amee Jorgenson
Chapter three. I must ask your forgiveness in not writing in this story for so long. I was stymied for a while there, but hopefully I've overcome the difficulty. We'll see how well it goes. Please R&R.
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The gentle creak of a door opening urged Amee into a state of wakefulness. Her hands clasped the coverlets instinctively before she dove to the floor in a defensive posture, hands extended in a protective pose. The room slowly came into focus, and she inhaled a deep breath upon remembering her whereabouts. Heartbeat slowing she groped with an unsteady hand for the lamp upon the bed stand. A single click and the room flooded with a warm glow, revealing it to be in the same condition as when she dozed off.
Quietly rising from the floor, she retrieved a warm bathrobe where it lay in a heap on the floor, crept to the doorway and cracked it open slightly. A soft humming reached her ears, echoing down the branched hallway, easily recognizable as Vic Fontaine's soothing croon. Ruffling a hand through her hair in an effort at tidiness, she straightened her shoulders and opened the door fully, stepping out in search of her kindly host. Amee followed Vic's voice into his luxurious lounge where he began removing his twinkling gold cufflinks.
He sensed her presence before she even entered the room, and turned his head toward her with a smile, dark eyes glittering in contentedness over a successful performance. "Sorry about that, kid. Hope I didn't wake you." Amee's lips turned upward in a responsive smile as she moved toward him, settling onto the bar stool at his side. "I think I'll be jumping at every little noise until Jarleth is apprehended. Out of self-preservation, Vic, I wouldn't creep up on me if I were you."
"I'll keep that in mind." Gesturing toward the neat rows of bottles, he stepped behind the bar, inquiring, "Can I get you anything?" She eyed the highly polished glass containers curiously. "What are they?" His head swivelled toward her and a half smile touched his lips. "You're kidding me right?" The softest blush tinged her cheeks at his surprise, and she struggled to push the embarrassment away. "No, I honestly don't recognize any of the bottles? Are they drinks?"
"Well, you might say that, yes." He didn't even try to contain his amusement which burst forth in a soft laugh. "I generally have a brandy or whiskey, but you can pick your poison. What do you normally prefer in reality?" His blatant acknowledgment of her reality still surprised her and she commented as much while indicating a curious blue bottle.
"How is it that you understand so much about my world, Vic? That shouldn't have ever happened. I've never heard of any other instance where a hologram is fully aware of an existence beyond his own world."
"Hey, what can I say? I'm special."
On any other man, his ego would have irritated, but not Vic. He was special, though Amee was determined to conceal just how much he impressed her. With jumpy nerves and a stalker on her heels, she wasn't in the best frame of mind to make accurate judgement calls. A heavy glass was pressed into her hand which she took as he removed his tie from around his neck, laying it lengthwise along the counter top.
"So what? You're an enigma with no explanation?"
"Of course not." His features had grown solemn as he leaned his elbows on the marble counter, eyes penetrating. "All I know is that I'm human without being human. I have a life, but not really a life. I love what I do, and thanks to Nog, that life is almost real. But it does make me different, and it's something I enjoy."
"Do you ever feel pain, Vic?"
The question didn't seem to surprise him. "I don't understand what pain is, Dollface. It's not really a part of my programming."
"But you have a conscience, a clear comprehension of my fears."
"Yeah, but I don't feel them, Amee." Straightening he stepped around the bar and gestured for her to follow him. "Come here. I want to show you something."
She set her drink down on the table, still untasted and hastened to the balcony, stepping through the sliding glass doors and into a clear star-speckled night. A light breeze fluttered through into the suite, ruffling her hair and sending the edges of her bathrobe floating in the cool air.
Vic stood at the railing, the moonlight glinting in his silver hair. She hesitated at the doorway before stepping fully through and onto the wooden terrace. He reached an arm around her back and drew her firmly to his side, one hand outstretched to encompass the glories of Las Vegas at their feet. "This is my world, kid. What you see is what you get. Only what you see isn't real." The scent of excitement and adventure floated on the breeze, defying his practicality.
"I care about my friends here and on DS9. I have a life here and there too. The only thing is that I will never be able to leave the holosuite once everyone goes home. They leave their imaginary world behind. But I am the imaginary world. It's very real to me, but this is a fantasy. I seem to care and understand, but it's my programming, Amee. Any emotion, is my programming."
"I don't believe that. There has to be more to you than the obvious, Vic. I've only known you for a few hours, but you're different. I'm here because you're willing to protect me from a villain in my world, not yours. Jarleth isn't real to you, Vic, only to me. But you still care."
His eyes remained focused upon the glittering lights and flashing signs of Vegas. "I appreciate your attempts to make more of me than there is. But it's not going to happen, Amee." Her lashes flickered in his direction, to the soft strands of hair flowing smoothly across his forehead, to the warmth of his arm as it encompassed her chilled form. "Julian was right, Vic. I can trust you." Her head leaned into his shoulder where she sensed a sudden tension in his muscles. "I do trust you. Don't ask me why, but I know that I'm safe here, with you."
They remained there for she knew not how long. It could have been hours or mere moments. She only knew that she did not want the spell to be broken. The following morning brought Julian to the door of the suite, bleary-eyed and mussed from hours spent in Odo's company, seeking DS9's uninvited guest. Amee awoke from her mound of blankets to the sound of his voice conversing with an equally tired Vic Fontaine. Rousing herself enough, she hurried into her adjoining bathroom and changed into the clothing especially placed by the computer to fit her slender shape. Splashing water upon her face, she hurriedly ran a comb through her tangled hair, smoothing it into some semblence of tidiness before speedily making for Vic's lounge.
The two men lurked by the open doorway to the balcony, an alcoholic beverage already in Vic's hand despite the early hour. She had taken one sip from the powerful alcohol he poured her the previous evening, winced on its strength, and replaced the glass. With hardly a thought, she calmly swept into their midst and tugged the glass from Vic's hand. His eyes followed her, mouth slightly agape, as she dumped the amber liquid down the drain behind the bar. Julian couldn't believe what he was seeing, but Amee soon made her intentions fully known.
"It's too early to be drinking, Vic, even if it isn't real." His lips opened and closed in befuddlement, but she hurried on, inquiring, "Is there any news, Julian?" Julian's eyes were locked on the drain, the slightest twitch of amusement touching his lips before her words penetrated. Sobriety settled over his features. "I'm afraid not, Amee. Odo and I surreptitiously searched the entire station last night, to no avail.Unfortunately that doesn't mean much, as you well know. He could very well be under our very noses and we would never know it until he chose to be seen."
Her shoulders slumped and she sank onto the bar stool, hands clasped on the counter and eyes drawn to the sunrise appearing through the open windows, lighting the city in hues of burnt orange and gold. "I didn't really expect any progress immediately. It's the not-knowing which is killing me." Sighing, Julian placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up before covering his warm touch with her fingers. "You're in excellent hands. And I'm sure Vic can find something to keep you occupied while the rest of us continue with the drudgery of reality."
"Julian, I'll be fine. I don't want you checking up on me every few hours, really. If anything goes wrong, I'll contact you or Vic will." She hesitated, glancing at Vic's profile. "You can contact people outside of the holosuite, correct?" He nodded. "Sure thing. If anyone even remotely suspicious comes into my club, Odo will be the first to know. And Julian, we don't need high traffic at the moment. So do me and the kid a favor and keep the visits to a minimum. More important than stifling, we don't want to tip off, what's his name, Jarleth that she's here. Okay, pally?"
"You don't need to tell me twice, Vic. I'm the one who brought her to you." Amusement flickered across Vic's features as he responded, "True, and yet here you are again, only a few hours later before the rest of the station is even fully awake. Seriously, Julian, she'll be fine. Give the kid a break. She'll settle into the routine soon enough and not even miss you."A laugh penetrated the airfrom Amee's direction and the two men turned to find her cheeks a healthy pink and eyes sparkling in amusement.
"Well, I can see I'm not needed here." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before heading for Vic's apartment door, followed by the singer. They spoke in low tones for a moment before Vic clapped him on the shoulder and Julian vanished down the hallway, determined to keep his distance for at least a few days unless called for.
"Now, kiddo, any requests?"
She moved around the back of the bar, in search of something edible, contemplating his words. "I really don't know what to do, Vic." What appeared to be a several days old carton of milk lingered in the fridge and she shuddered while removing it, hastily pouring out the contents. "Do you have any suggestions? This isn't exactly my century."
He chuckled. "True enough, Dollface. I could always show you the town if you're up for it." Her delicate nose sniffed into some orange juice and found it relatively fresh. With a prepared glass of the orange liquid in one hand she turned toward him, nibbling absently on her lower lip, a habit retained from childhood. "I don't know if I'm prepared to wander around Vegas' hot spots just yet, but . . ." a lengthy pause heightened his curiosity. "Well, I'd like to get closer acquainted with your club, if you wouldn't mind. And I would like to attend your performance tonight. I'll dress appropriate and no one would expect to see me here anyway."
"Wish granted. Anything else?"
"A shopping trip, definitely. Vic, when did you last clear out your fridge." He peered around the edge of the counter and into the depths of white square in question. "You should have seen it a few months ago." She sniffed derisively. "Well, a trip to the nearest store is in order." Snatching a past due tub of mayonnaise from her hand, he calmly dumped it into the nearest trash recepticle. "I could always add food from the program, you know." She dropped the guise of complete ease. "I know you could. But I need something to do. And cleaning out your fridge seems like a good place to start."
"Then grab a coat, Dollface. We're going out on the town! Providing I can actually find a grocery store."