Hi guys! O.O What is this? ANOTHER CHAPTER ALREADY? Yes. Yes it is. :) Thank you to all who have put this story in their favorites, have it on alert, and especially those who have given this the time to review. I love you guys, and appreciate every one. 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters Taz and Up, nor do I own the musical which they come from-Starship. They are the brainchildren of Starkid Productions.

chapter 8: Of serious topics, and food excursions.

Taz groggily awoke from a dreamless sleep. Blinking away a strange feeling of fogginess, her eyes slowly focused on the white ceiling tiles above her. Where was she? She turned her head to the left and saw an Iv pumping who knows what into her. Ungh. She must still be in the hospital then. She shifted to her right, ignoring her comfy pillow and proceeded to take in her surroundings... Which wasn't much. Green curtains the same color as the medical scrubs were drawn around her bed. There was a wheelie table next to her with some food and water next to it, as well as a bottle of Ibuprofen. Probably for when she woke up. In the corner of this makeshift room by the end of her bad was a chair. And within this chair was a sleeping Lieutenant Up.

What was he doing in here? Shouldn't he be in his own medical room, or in the cafeteria or something? He was a guy, guys liked to eat. "Hey, hey amigo." She voiced. He didn't move. She sighed. " Lieutenant Up!" Taz hissed loudly. She was still feeling a bit too weak and dizzy to walk over to him. "Mustache!"

"Huh?" He snorted and shook,then brought his fists up to his eyes, rubbing them . "You're awake!" He muttered surprised.

"Good observation."She grinned. " Do you know what time is is?" Taz threw her blanket to the side and sat up slowly (minding her dizziness), and then scooted closer to the end of the bed and Up. He blinked, and then looked down at his watch.

"Uh, it's 2000." So 8pm normal speak. He looked at her dead in the eyes. "You've been asleep for days."

Taz's eyes widened at that. Really? "How long exactly?"

"Three days. The others were getting worried." Up leaned back in his chair, glad to be able to return to his men with good news. "And bored. They missed your poker skills." Taz chuckled then flipped some hair out of her eyes.

"Bet you they don't miss losing."

"Yea."

"Mmmhmm." The two of them fell into an uneasy silence. Up didn't really know what to say. Four days ago he held this girl in his arms while she cried over the body of her mother... He walked through the remains of her house... her world. What could you say to that? Taz was thinking along the same thing. This lieutenant had walked into her life a week ago, and everything had changed. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he fiddled with his watch. He seemed so... so normal. A constant in her out of control life. She cleared her throat awkwardly, and he looked at her again.

"Um, Up?"

"Yea?"

"Do you have any familia?" He looked startled to have been asked this, and Taz started to have second thoughts about asking. She started to shrink down in herself. Up frowned slightly because didn't like seeing this tough gal so forlorn. The personal question was probably brought on by her recent loss of her own family. Up couldn't hold it against her... he might as well answer truthfully. The thought crossed his mind that maybe him frowning wasn't the best idea at the moment. So he smiled at her and sighed softly instead.

"No... I don't reckon I do." Taz looked at him questioningly.

"You don't know?"

"I was an orphan... am an orphan. I never knew of any family. So I say that I don't have one."

Taz nodded slowly, mulling over his words. "I have some family left... but I don't know where they are. Papa and Carlos are out in deep space doing whatever rangers do. I haven't seen or heard from either of them in years."

"Guess we're in the same boat then, eh?"

"Yea, I guess so." Taz fell back onto the bed, eyes facing the ceiling once again. " Alone with nobody to come home to." Gosh dangit, this was too saddening for the Lieutenant. He had already come to terms with his lack of a family unit. But Taz? All this was still fresh. He stood up and walked over to the side of her bed.

"Hey, don't be like that. You've got the boys. And you've got me. We'll help get you through this." She looked up at him with her big, brown eyes and he could see a spark of hope that wasn't there before. She reached out and gripped his hand.

"Really? You mean that?" They weren't going to leave her here alone in the space station? She'd have someone? Up chuckled, and squeezed her hand back.

"Of course I meant it. What kind of a ranger doesn't help others get back up?"

Taz shrugged, and sat up. "I dunno," She pulled him into a quick hug, "but what I do know is that I'm hungry, and that the tray of food right there looks cold and disgusting."

Up leaned out of the hug to look down at the tray of food, then her. "Do you want to go down to the cafeteria?"

She grinned."Si! Do I need to be checked outta here or something?" Up thought or a moment.

"Actually you're not supposed to leave here for another day or two..."

"Oh, come on Up. I'm hungry." Taz whimpered, and pouted her lower lip. She was getting food. Even if she had to beg. He rolled his eyes, then walked over to a curtained wall and brushed it aside. he poked his head through, and looked side to side to make sure the coast was clear.

"No one's around. You want to go now?"

"Yes, idiota. My stomach is practically digesting itself!"

Up's footsteps sounded clunky compared to Taz's as they ran out of the medical bay(well, Taz was limping quickly) and down a hall, gaining distance from where she should've been recuperating. He tried not to laugh at what they were doing. He was breaking a kid out of bondage essentially. He hadn't had this much fun in years! Not since he'd graduated form the academy three years ago. "Quick, turn left here!" The Lieutenant had luckily brought Taz's duffel bag with himself when he went to visit. Before they left she had wanted to change out of the medical scrubs she was in. Up had agreed; because having a petite 15 year old girl running around in medical scrubs was probably not a good idea if they didn't want to get caught.

"Ok, we've got to take the elevator on our next right and-" They both snapped to an upright, walking pace and slowed down as two other Rangers walked around the corner.

"Lieutenant Up." They nodded respectfully at him then continued on. Taz looked up at the guy she was going on a food mission with with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged.

"You must be some tough guy around here, eh?"

"You could say that." The duo piled into the sleek elevator and waited for the door to close. Once it did Up pushed the first level button.

"Soooo...What did you do then? To become a lieutenant I mean. You're so young and all... that's not normal, right? I've been meaning to ask you." Up leaned against the back wall of the elevator and thought for a moment. Should he tell her?

"I saved this place from blowing up a few months back." There. Straight and to the point.

"Wow." She was silent until they both stepped out of the lift, and had taken a few steps forward. "What was it like?"

"Hard. Stressful. Incredibly nerve-wracking."

"You ever going to tell me what you did exactly?"

"Maybe some other time" Up brushed it away. Every time he explained, it seemed like he was bragging. He didn't like to do that. "For now let's get some grub in you."

"So is this the cafeteria?" Taz could hear voices and clattering that would normally sound from one coming from the end of the hallway.

"Yea. But one word of advice. We call it the mess hall up here, got it?"

Taz smirked and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. " it, Sir."

A new pair of footsteps joined theirs in the hallway. "Learned your place quickly I see." Ensign Kent caught up to them, an apple in his hand. He reached out his free hand and ruffled his little friends hair.

"Shut up, Kent." She smacked his hand away and then Taz and Kent stuck their tongues out at each other. "I was being sarcastic."

"Sure you were."

They walked together into the mess hall and headed straight to the line of rangers waiting patiently to grab a tray and then onwards to their food. "What's the special today Kent?" Up asked.

"I think it's nachos."Taz perked up at this. She loved nachos! The trio all got a giant helping of nachos and maneuvered their way to an empty table. Her stomach growled as she sat down. Being asleep for three days could really build up an appetite. The two males watched in awe as she scarfed down the chips, meat and cheese faster than the two of them combined. when she was done, she glanced up at their blinking faces. Their plates barely halfway clean.

"What?" Blink. Blink. "Aw come on. Grown hombres like you never felt starving before?" Kent shook his head.

"Not like that."

" Well...tenía buen sabor. I'm gonna go get seconds. And a drink..." They were still looking up at her in disbelief. She rolled her eyes. Honestly, men sometimes."Does this place have lemonade?"

Translations:

-amigo: friend
-familia: family
-idiota: idiot
-Entiendo: I understand
-tenía buen sabor: it tasted good.

Authors note: BOOYA! I whipped out this chapter in a day, and I actually like this one. :) Remember to review and critique, and put it on your alerts! I have had a sudden wave of inspiration in the form of Easter break.