Camille Gets A surprise

Posted on Tue Apr 14th, 2015 @ 8:28pm by Vic & Camille Ross

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: The Nexus Club

* * * The Nexus Club * * *

It was the usual lull before the late show crowd came in and Vic took advantage of it to take a seat at the end of the bar and have some coffee. The night had been a busy one so far and with Jackson off station the last two nights, he’d been doing double duty to help Janice. Jackson was home now and had sent a brief message just a few minutes ago that had amused Vic greatly. He blew on his coffee, then his smiled widened as Camille appeared, moving in his direction.

“What are ye smiling ‘bout now?” Camille greeted him as she got closer to him. “It’s great that we’re busy an’ all that, but being on our feet all day an’ night is nothing to be smiling ‘bout with these blisters,” she joked with him.

“Have a seat for a few minutes. Anyone coming in now can seat themselves.” He sipped his coffee, then pulled over a glass of lemonade that was waiting, leaving it in front of Camille. “Enjoy. As for this smile? All thanks to our boy Jackson. He got arrested tonight. By his wife.”

“I bet he got a shock that the cuffs weren’t fer bedroom antics,” Camille joked in a light tone before becoming serious, “hope he’s not about tae leave Janice on her own in here.”

“Nah,” Vic answered. “It’s not the first time, likely won’t be the last either. How’s the front of the house been tonight? No trouble I need to go raise some hell about?”

“Still don’t fancy havin’ to be in her position. And aye cannae complain. It’s busy, but everyone seems tae be understandin’ of us bein’ rushed off our feet and been quite happy to be directed to the bar.”

“So I noticed.” Vic’s tone was wry. “However, Janice will be happy with the night’s receipts I think.” He finished his coffee and turned on the stool to face Camille. “So, how’s Patrick doing? I haven’t seen him lately.”

“You and me both,” Camille quipped light-heartedly. “He’s just got back from that trip he was on. All I know was he got tae play with his toys, but anything else he told me just went over me head.” Camille laughed to herself knowing just how little attention she was able to pay to Pat’s retelling of his trip - for all she cared about was getting him home and into a more comfortable position, but she wasn’t about to tell Vic that.

“I’m sure he’ll be about at some point fer ye to pester him,” she said, coming back into focus of the conversation.

“No doubt. I”ll be glad when Jackson and Eli are back here too. It’ll make the place seem like normal --” He stopped speaking and frowned, his attention directed over Camille’s shoulder.

Camille followed his gaze round behind her, noticing someone walking through the door to the club. Sighting who her new customer was, she froze and turned to Vic, lowering her voice as best as she could before speeding out questions a mile a minute to him.

“What in God’s name on earth is he doing back here!? I know I dunnae know much of what goes on in security on the ‘base, but I sure as hell know he ain’t meant to be here! And why are ye sitting there calmly an’ not going over there and raising hell!?” She stared at Vic, her chest heaving with anxiety, fear and confusion, expecting him to march over and march the unwanted visitor out of the club, and back to wherever he was supposed to be.

“It’s a long story, Camille,” Vic answered softly. “Why don’t you go over and show him to a table? He won’t be any trouble.”

Sensing the calmness in Vic’s tone, Camille steadied her breathing. “If you’re sure he ain’t to gonnae be any trouble, then I’ll treat him like any other customer,” Camille replied to Vic. Then forcing herself to smile, and unwillingly standing up and back on to her six inch heels, she smoothed down her emerald green cocktail dress, and made her way over to her podium.

Putting on her friendliest Scottish smile, she greeted the visitor. “Suresh, welcome. How many are dining tonight?” She asked, trying to sound as sincere as she meant it.

Suresh looked behind him. There was no one there. He turned back to Camille and smiled. “just me. I had other plans but they fell through. Anywhere is fine.”

Deciding that if he was anything to worry about, Vic would be all over him quicker than you could say “Nessie”, Camille decided she would give Suresh the best table in the house - a quiet little booth, with a perfect, unobscured view of the stage. Even though there would be no entertainment for a while, she hoped the sentiment would please Suresh.

“Follow me then,” she asked with a smile, before leading him to the booth. “I expect it tae get a bit busier in ‘ere shortly for the rush for the late show, but you’ll go undisturbed ‘ere if you so wish.” She had no idea why, if he had managed to escape from where he was supposed to be, that he would even think about coming to some place so public, that she wanted to give him the option of being seen, or remaining in the background.

“Thank you, Miss---?””

Forgetting she was supposed to play nice due to Vic’s horizontal response to Suresh being here, Camille started to let go on him “Suresh did ye have brain transplant or somethin’?” before catching herself. “I mean, Suresh, I’m Camille Ross. Been working ‘ere a while now and certainly long enough for ye to know me name.”

“I see. Well, thank you Camille Ross. You’ve been most kind.” Suresh settled into the booth and relaxed as a waiter approached.

Back at the main bar, Vic watched them and waited as Camille moved back in his direction.

Throwing herself into the seat and picking up her lemonade again, Camille turned to face Vic. “Strangest thing just happened. Suresh asked me me name, like he’d never been here before in his life. Whatever gaga juice they had him on in prison - gimme some of that to recover from that experience,” she rambled at Vic.

Vic leaned closer and whispered at her ear. “That isn’t him.”

Gasping loudly she couldn’t get “Shut the front door!” out of her mouth quick enough. “What d’ye mean that ain’t him? Of course it’s him. Looks like ‘im, sounds like ‘im, even smells like ‘im...” She continued rhyming off ways in which that the man she had seated, had to be Suresh.

“Remember the team that got lost in that alternate time line? Li? The Admiral? Suresh was there too you recall. When they came back, they came back plus one. The old one is still in prison as you mentioned. And this is the other one.” Vic glanced across the room in Suresh’s direction, then back to Camille. “He’s been no trouble that I know of. What did he say?”

Taking a minute to think back, she remembered hearing something about people in command getting lost, during her early days on the ‘base. “Aye, I mind hearing things when I first arrived here, but presumed all was well, but clearly not,” she said as she motioned towards where Suresh was sitting.

“And na, he wassnae any bother. Just looking to eat in quiet I think. He mentioned somethin’ ‘bout other plans fallin’ through, but other than that he was pleasant. Took me by surprise that he had manners tae be honest. But that explains why he asked me me name,” she replied, still looking in Suresh’s direction.

Rembering that this was not the Suresh everyone knew on Starbase 900, she turned quizically to Vic. “So what does that mean now for ‘im, and for us? Surely he knows he just cannae be waltzing ‘bout the base where everyone still thinks he... I mean the proper Suresh, should still be banged up?”

Vic shrugged. “Why not? He’s done nothing wrong...yet. The old one’s long gone and this one’s stuck here, for better or for worse, to make his way. It’s going to be a little odd yet, but we’ll adjust I suppose.”

“Hmmm that’s true,” she said more to herself than to Vic. “Nowt much for me tae be worrying ‘bout then ‘part from keepin’ an eye when he’s in ‘ere.”

“Well, it’s about that time, kiddo.” Vic slid off his stool and moved around behind the bar.

“Eugh,” she said pulling back on her shoes. “The sooner everyone gets back ‘ere the better as these long shifts in these shoes are killer.” She said more to herself than aloud.

“Indeed.” Vic flashed Camille a bright smile as she turned to go back to the front. Then, his attention once more returned to the new Suresh. It was going to be an interesting ride.

********************
Vic
Holding Down The Fort

Camille Ross
Not the Surprise She Was Expecting