A/N: 1.) This update is long overdue (sorry!) and 2.) Google Translate is my very best French friend.
Paris Life—Part V
L'École Avril Robert de Diplomatie, Paris, France, 2291.78, 1844 hours. "Ugh." Se'tak's head fell back against the pillow and he put a hand over his eyes. After the vertigo passed he tried sitting up again only to collapse once more in a heap.
He knew he shouldn't have gone out today. He'd had the start of the sniffles when he woke up but he'd promised Max they'd meet up for lunch and he wasn't about to disappoint his cousin, especially when things were going so well. He especially should've known better than to stay in the seat under the cold vent in the restaurant for 2+ hours. That was probably why he collapsed in a snotty heap on his bed the minute he got back to the dorm.
"Uuuugggggghhhhh." Forcing himself past the dizziness Se'tak sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He needed medicine and the pharmacy was closing soon. If he didn't leave now his night would just get even more miserable. 'Tak pushed himself gently off the bed and tried his sea legs; he was a little wobbly, but the drug store was only 3 blocks there and back and he thought he could make it.
He realized his third major error of the day in the stairwell. 3 blocks might as well have been 3 km.
Merde*.
Pulling his jacket tight around him and leaning against every building he passed for support Se'tak reached La Pharmacie Regis just as a young woman was locking up for the night.
"S'il vous plaît*…" he pleaded before falling victim to a hacking cough. 'Tak doubled over on the sidewalk, unable to stop and soon afraid he might vomit.
She muttered what sounded like "Oh you poor man" before her old-fashioned keys jangled once more in the lock. Out of the corner of his eye he watched her heft the safety door back up and then usher him inside.
"Merci, merci*," he repeated as he shuffled along to the back; it was all he could do in his pitiable state. His rescuer smartly side stepped the counter back there and turned her back on him, scanning the shelves. Finding an empty seat Se'tak sat down to catch his breath. Not only was his nose runny but his eyes were watery and he scanned the nearby shelves for a package of tissues, tearing into the handiest box before it could even be rung up and using 3 at one go.
It was in that instant that he realized that this…this…abominable cold was only going to get worse before it got better.
The pharmacy technician who'd taken pity on him turned back around. "…Vulcan?" She looked at him expectantly, her large green eyes framed by dark glasses.
He hadn't understood a thing she said other than that. "Oui*?"
"Are you more than 1/8th Vulcan?" she tried again in accented Standard.
"Yes," Se'tak hastily replied, glad not to have to translate. He couldn't seem to breathe and converse in French at the moment—it hurt his brain too much.
"Then this is the best medicine for you. Take 2 pills before bed, then another 2 with breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomorrow. I promise you you will feel much better." She took the bottle and the tissues he'd unceremoniously opened and deposited them both in a bag.
He reached into his pocket for his credit chit. "Here…"
"No no," she replied, waving him off and stepping around the counter so she could press the bag into his hands.
"But I can pay."
"I do not want you to." The technician waited for him to get to his feet. "It seems unfair to take credits from you when you are this miserable. I will take care of the medicine; all I ask is that when you are better you—comment dites-vous*—pay it forward?"
Se'tak nodded hard as he slowly made his way back to the entrance. "Yes," he readily agreed, "I will."
"Très bien*."
They stepped back out into the cool March night and she locked up the store once more while he stumbled on home. He hadn't made it far when she drew up alongside him. "Do you live far?"
He gestured toward the college. "In the dormitories." Se'tak erupted in another hacking cough that stopped him in his tracks.
"May I call you a taxi?" He shook his head; when he looked up at her next he could see her pursing her perfect bow lips in consternation. "Very well. If you insist on walking then I will go with you."
Se'tak shook his head again and tried to straighten up. "No, I'm alright, see? Besides, you probably have better things to do on a Saturday night…"
"I have nothing better to do than to see you to your door. Anyway it'll only take a few minutes, and if I don't you might pass out on the street and my medicine won't do you any good. So you see, I am really helping myself."
"Oui," he finally agreed. Together they made it back to the dorms in one piece and his petite, porcelain-skinned angel left him at the lobby entrance. "I never got your name," Se'tak called out after her.
She looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "Je m'apelle Marie."
"Merci, Marie." Quietly and to himself he added, "Goodbye for now." Ordinarily he would've watched her walk away but right now all he wanted was his bed, a hot cup of tea, and her 2 pills of flu-fighting megapower…but when he was better he'd bend over backwards to thank her properly.
His symptoms were better on Sunday—much better—but not good enough to make him want to risk getting out of bed. He stayed home on Monday as well, just to be safe. By Tuesday he was symptom free and on Wednesday he walked back to Regis Pharmacy with a bounce in his step.
After class Se'tak dressed to impress and breezed through the streets to the Pharmacy. The line was 4 people deep but he saw Marie at the register, her brown hair twisted and held up in a clip and her white coat buttoned up around her, giving each patient in her orbit her full attention.
He couldn't help himself. He cut the queue and leaned in close to the register, next to a middle aged man asking questions about fungal cream.
"Excuse moi," he exclaimed. "Marie?'
"Oui?" Her quizzical expression—with those striking green eyes—told him she didn't recognize him.
Meanwhile the man beside him bristled. "Jeune homme, vous devez attendre votre tour comme…*"
Se'tak pretended to be offended. "Vous ne vous souvenir pas de moi?*"
"Non, main tenant, si vouz me pardoner…" As Marie tried to give him the brush off he mussed up his hair, pinched his cheeks, and pulled his jacket collar up around his chin, trying his best to look like his pitiful, Saturday night self. It worked. "Monsieur mort*!" she exclaimed. The man between them glanced from one to the other with his eyes shooting up into his receding hairline.
"Mister Death?" Se'tak chuckled. "I admit I was pretty sick but I wasn't that sick."
"My apologies, Monsieur…"
"Se'tak. Just Se'tak."
He struck out his hand across the counter and she took it gently in her own. "Se'tak, it is very nice to meet you. I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Thanks to you I am."
Marie blushed then tried to turn her attention back to the other customer but he wouldn't have it. "I'd like to take you out," 'Tak said, "To thank you properly. Dinner on Friday?" She shook her head no and went back to discussing fungal creams. "Lunch?" Another shake of the head, but he wouldn't be so easily dissuaded. "Coffee?"
"Oh, pour l'amour de Dieu!" the older man spit out, finally reaching the end of his patience, "Simplement dire oui alors il va disparaître!*"
Marie blushed red again, this time to the tips of her ears. "Dinner, did you say?"
Se'tak nodded. "I'll pick you up here on Friday. At 7."
"Très bien."
His giddiness knew no bounds and he reached out and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips. "Merci," he replied, kissing her fingertips and leaving her—he hoped—breathless in anticipation.
Beers of the World Bar, Paris, France, 2291.83, 1835 hours. "Drink up, guys!" Se'tak cheered as he deposited 3 pints on the table. "This one's on me!"
Ollie eyed the drink—and him—suspiciously. "Where's this coming from?"
"Madagascar," he replied with a smile and a twinkle and his eye. Venn and Ollie took small tasting sips while he enthusiastically guzzled half his pint down. The beer wasn't all that great but he was too excited to care.
Venn wiped some beer from his beard with a napkin. "What's got you all keyed up?"
"I have a date." Their Tellarite friend groaned while Ollie asked for details.
"Her name's Marie. She works at the off-campus pharmacy. We met last Saturday."
"Last Saturday?" Venn whined. He was still trying to screw up his courage to send his mystery crush flowers. "Aww man!"
Se'tak shrugged but couldn't hide his glee. "When it feels right, it feels right."
Ollie stared pointedly at his friend. "You think maybe now you'll buy the damn flowers and quit moping all the time?"
Paris, France, 2291.84, 1902 hours. Se'tak knew the first date was crucial for setting the right tone and the last thing he wanted was for her to think this was some casual fling. He wanted to get to know her, potentially have a relationship with her if she'd let him, and you only got one chance at a good first impression. Fine French restaurants abounded in Paris but he decided to go a different route.
Marie was dressed to perfection in a sleek little black dress. Her chestnut hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders while her glasses had been traded for contacts. As he ushered her into the hover cab she looked a tad bored, no doubt anticipating a night of fine china, haughty waiters, and tiresome French cuisine. She could not have been more surprised when he guided her toward the H.K. Hibachi House instead.
Her full name, he learned over the spicy edamame starter, was Marie Grier; he also quickly discovered that she wasn't a fan of spicy foods as the beans sent her into a choking fit. He liked that she was willing to step outside her comfort zone a bit—and he liked her even more when she started laughing at the spectacle she was making, spluttering through her first and only bite and then chugging a pitcher of cold water.
A woman that could laugh at herself—now that was a quality almost as rare as her emerald eyes.
Marie was 25, just like him, and had been working at the Pharmacy since she graduated from school last year. She grew up in Annecy, a small town about an hour's bullet train ride Southeast of Paris, and was the only child of Helene and Marcel Grier. Her parents were pharmacists too; in fact she was a 3rd generation technician.
He learned other tidbits too and soaked it all up like a sponge.
She played the flute.
She had a cat.
She enjoyed boating.
She liked to embroider.
She loved her job.
And she found him utterly charming.
Se'tak couldn't believe his luck.
His friends all knew (and joked) about his penchant for wooing and bedding women; what they didn't know was how fiercely he guarded his heart. His relationships up to now were all superficial. With Marie even in the first date he felt her chipping away at his defenses and—what was more surprising—he didn't feel the urge to run. He wanted to stay and only hoped she found something to her liking.
They closed the restaurant down and he escorted her back to her 1 bedroom flat in a 4 story walk up. She invited him up for coffee and a chance to meet Rorschach, her 5 year old calico, and although he was certainly tempted by the offer he politely declined. Se'tak wanted this, whatever it was, to last, and he didn't want to ruin it by rushing into things the way he usually did. Marie was special and she deserved the best.
With her hand on the door she bit back a pout and braced herself to enter alone; but before she could do so he took her face full in his hands and kissed her passionately. Such wanton lust left her in no doubt that he desired her. They parted company on the sidewalk with smiles on their faces and promises to meet up again on Sunday.
L'École Avril Robert de Bibliothèque de Diplomatie, Paris, France, 2291.88, 1528 hours. He was doing it—he was finally doing it. Se'tak sat at the table and watched out of the corner of his eye as Venn stood guard at the door with a bouquet of roses in hand. One by one the others slowly filed in, all eying him curiously, until there was no doubt who the flowers were for.
Zosia.
Now there was a twist he hadn't seen coming.
She arrived alone and although he couldn't hear what was going on through the closed door he could see Venn talking to her. He offered Zosia the fine red roses and she took them all the while blushing crimson up to her ears. 'Tak thought maybe they had a chance but then he saw his friend's shoulders hunch over as she politely rebuffed him. She tried to give back the flowers but Venn insisted she keep them as he shuffled on out of the library. Se'tak understood; class would be hard to face after a rejection like that.
What Venn missed, however, was the way Desiree stared longingly after him.
Se'tak and Marie had lunch then saw a movie together on Wednesday. She started learning more about him, about where he grew up and what his parents and siblings were like, and for the first time he realized that Marie had no idea who his family was. The fact that his parents' celebrity hadn't colored her view made 'Tak appreciate her even more; and when he disclosed his famous heritage she didn't seem fazed. In truth she seemed rather blasé about the whole deal.
They quickly became an item and continued seeing each other as often as their schedules allowed. 2 weeks after their first date Marie suggested he come over for a home-cooked meal at her place and this time Se'tak didn't hesitate; in fact he stayed until breakfast the next day. Afterward she coined a new private nickname for him—'mon petite mort'—that made the heat rise from the tips of his toes to the ends of his ears.
It was easy to see how he could forget all about his 'secret admirer'…
…unfortunately she hadn't forgotten about him.
L'École Avril Robert de Diplomatie, Paris, France, 2291.100, 0835 hours. It was the Monday after they'd made love. He was in class, half his attention on the lecture, the other half dreamily on Marie. Today was her day to open up the shop and he didn't expect to hear from her until that night. In his pocket he felt his comm vibrate but let it go to voicemail; only when it rang again in as many seconds did he pull it out and see it was from his Jade Bijou Yeux*
Se'tak slipped out of his seat in the lecture hall and proceeded to the corridor. "Marie?"
An older woman's voice responded. "Elle est en état de choc, vous devez vous dépêcher à la Pharmacie*."
He didn't even think he just reacted, bolting out of the building and across campus to her location. Se'tak was at the store in 10 minutes and found Marie inside, sitting on the little stool beside the counter with her head in her hands, 3 elderly regulars standing around comforting her. He dropped to his knees before her and took her hands in his—the woman on the comm was right, she was in shock.
"Ma belle, ce qui est arrivé*?"
Marie trembled and shook her head. A short older woman in a black straw hat stepped forward with a pile of colored papers clutched in her hand. "Ceux-ci ont tous été sur le devant de la boutique*," she explained, thrusting the pile of papers at him. Se'tak took one in hand and his distress on Marie's behalf was quickly surpassed by rage.
It was an image of him and Marie in her kitchen—his pants were down around his ankles while she was sitting on the counter with her legs around his waist. His face wasn't visible—he could've been anybody—but hers was clear as day and her expression was one of complete abandonment. Below the picture in angry, handwritten scrawl, were the words, "A stupid whore works here."
Why?! he wondered. Why Marie? Why her?! And why here?! As Se'tak seethed he looked over at his trembling beloved as she struggled not to cry. He was going to rip his stalker to shreds when he finally got his hands on her. Whipping his comm out of his pocket he pressed it into the hands of the nearest person. "Appeler la Police*," he ordered through clenched teeth, not trusting himself to speak further. The biddies gathered around them quickly obeyed.
Kneeling back down he gathered Marie in his arms and held her close. "I'm sorry," he whispered, rocking gently back and forth. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
He waited until the other customers and Marie had all spoken with the young Lieutenant Bonhomme before having his say. "Votre déclaration s'il vous plaît*."
"Oui." Se'tak took a breath to compose himself and drew the Lieutenant to the other side of the store, out of Marie's hearing range. "Est-ce que tu parles Standard*?"
"Oui." The Lieutenant nodded, his PADD poised tight in his hand so he could record every bit of minutiae from their conversation.
Se'tak braced himself and began. "I think…no, I know this has to do with me. I began receiving anonymous letters awhile ago. They were mostly harmless stuff but then they started getting personal. I thought I had a stalker and reported it to the police but I don't think they took me very seriously. The notes stopped and I thought maybe she'd moved on, then today happened…"
The Lieutenant's curiosity was peaked. "Does the handwriting look similar to the love letters you received?" he asked.
"It does but I can't be 100% certain."
The man nodded. "You said you made a report?"
"Yes, on 2291.58, though I doubt it'll help much."
"Oh?"
"I was laughed out of the station," Se'tak freely admitted. "No one wanted to believe a man could be stalked." He hoped the officers that ridiculed him might finally get their comeuppance.
Lieutenant Bonhomme tucked the ripped off fliers under his arm and nodded again. "I'll be sure and look into it."
"Merci, Lieutenant."
She got a colleague to cover the rest of her shift and Se'tak skipped all his classes. They walked back to her apartment together constantly looking over their shoulders. As soon as she entered Marie slipped out of her coat, set her keys on the table, and took stock of the place. She flew to the far window in an angry rage and yanked the drapes closed so violently they almost tore off the hook. Se'tak quickly realized why—it was the window his stalker had used to spy on their most intimate moment.
"I am not a whore," she spat out through clenched teeth.
"No, mon ange*," he agreed, "You are not."
"Then why would someone do this to me?"
Se'tak thrust his hands into his pockets while debating how best to answer her. As the silence stretched between them Marie finally took a good look at his downcast face. "What is it you're not telling me?" she asked at long last.
Taking a deep breath he slowly told her everything. How the notes first started. How he thought they were a joke. How they got more intimate, but never this aggressive. "I thought she'd gone," he concluded, "Or I would've told you before. I wouldn't have put you in this position." Se'tak looked down at the floor, certain in is heart of hearts that she was going to end things between them.
Marie walked over to him without a word. She studied him with those piercing green eyes that would not suffer fools gladly. Then at long last she spoke. "Well then. I'll consider myself warned." Marie drew herself closer still until their toes were touching and drew a hand up to the side of his face. "Ma pauvre petite mort*…" she whispered before pressing a kiss to his lips.
A short while later they found themselves in the bedroom fully clothed atop the comforter both spent with emotion. Se'tak spooned her while Rorschach hovered protectively nearby and the cat rose in his estimation. As he drifted off to sleep alongside Marie he couldn't help but wish that he could stay with her always like this and keep her safe from harm.
Se'tak stayed with her late into the night. He was loathe to leave her but eventually she insisted. "I'm scared too," Marie admitted as she walked him to the door, "But I'm not going to let the fear of her rule my life."
He leaned down for one more kiss. "Make sure you lock the door behind me. Double lock it if you can." She nodded. "And the windows too."
"I'll be alright. I'll call you tomorrow."
Once he was out on the street Se'tak started off toward campus then doubled back around, checking for anyone suspicious who might be watching the building. Finding no one he glanced up and found her pulling back curtains and testing locks. Only when the apartment went dark did he head back to his own bed.
It had been a long and emotionally draining day, one he wasn't likely to forget anytime soon no matter how much he wanted to put it behind him. As Se'tak wearily stepped inside his single room he heard the crunch of paper underfoot and his heart dropped. He tentatively lifted his foot.
Another note.
'Tak picked it up between thumb and forefinger as if it were poisonous. With a knot twisting itself in his stomach he slowly unfurled the paper to see a picture taken within seconds of the one plastered to Marie's office poster. His head was turned so you could make out his profile while Marie's face was crossed out in dozens of angry black hatch marks. "WHY WON'T YOU LET ME LOVE YOU?" his stalker scribbled.
Furious with her and the threat she posed he crumpled the paper in his fist and threw it to the floor. Next he repeatedly slammed his bag hard against the wall until he was completely spent. It wasn't enough to soothe his soul but at least the action mollified his rage—for the time being.
They survived the night though the bags under their eyes were dark and deep. Marie returned to work that afternoon for her usual shift expecting the worst but finding nothing amiss. Se'tak went to his classes with a perpetual scowl on his face and his thoughts focused on Marie and ways to try and keep her safe.
A little before 1530 he was sitting in the study room at the library waiting for his students to arrive. His chair was tipped back at an angle and the end of a stylus pen was in his mouth as he tried to work out an argument that might convince Marie to move. Yes she had a cozy, perfectly situated, one bedroom apartment with reasonable rent—but it clearly wasn't safe. She needed a more secure building, one with a doorman who happened to moon-light as a big, burly, bouncer…
"Se'tak?"
His body shuddered in surprise and for a moment it looked like he was going to fall backwards off the chair but at the last second he righted himself. Looking across the table he saw Zosia and Ifama sitting there, their mouths open in perfect little o's of shock.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in," he said. "I was…lost in thought."
"Everything alright?" Ifama asked.
"No." His dark eyes narrowed and he clenched the tip of his stylus tighter between his teeth—it was the look of a haunted fighter.
"Do you…" Zosia hesitantly asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." That sounded mean, even to his own ears. Se'tak shook his head clear. "Sorry. Thanks for asking though."
"Ok." The girls looked at each other sideways then started pulling PADDs and things out of their bags while the rest of the class filed in. Desiree arrived last, taking a seat next to the moping Venn and offering the first cookie from the container of freshly made sugar cookies she brought with her. For the next 90 minutes Se'tak was too busy teaching to think about the outside world, though his worry for Marie never left. He wondered if it'd ever go away or if they were doomed to always live under this black cloud of dread.
* Merde = French, shit
* S'il vous plaît = French, please
* Merci = French, thank you
* "Oui?" = French, "Yes?"
* comment dites-vous = French, "how do you say"
* "Très bien" = French, "Very good."
* "Jeune homme…" = French, "Young man, you must wait your turn like…"
* "Vous ne vous…" = French, "You don't remember me?"
* "Monsieur Mort!" = French, "Mister Death!"
* "Oh, pour l'amour…" = French, "Oh for goodness sake, simply say yes so he will go away!"
* Jade Bijou Yeux = French, Jade Eyed Jewel.
* "Elle est en…" = French, "She is in a great state of shock, you must hurry to the Pharmacy."
* "Ma belle…" = French, "My beautiful, what happened?"
* "Ceux-ci ont…" = French, "These were all over the front of the shop."
* "Appeler la Police" = French, "Call the Police."
* "Votre…" = French, "Your statement please."
* "Oui…est-ce…" = French, "Yes. Do you speak Standard?"
* mon ange = French, my angel
* "Ma pauvre…" = French, "My poor little death"