Vacation Plans

Posted on Sun Jul 8th, 2012 @ 3:34pm by Cassidy Wilde & Jackson Banning V
Edited on on Sun Jul 8th, 2012 @ 3:39pm

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Jackson's Quarters

* * * Jackson’s Quarters * * *

Jackson approached his quarters after a night on Jan’s sofa. The offer of sleep had turned out to be nothing more than an idea - they’d sat up much of the night working on the bottle of Saurian brandy and reminiscing over their past twelve or so years together across various locations. When the computer had finally announced it should be dawn, they’d given in and Jackson had settled into a doze on her sofa. His dreams were troubled, however, and he woke only a few hours later, determined to follow his vacation idea. He left Jan still asleep and departed and now found himself standing at his doors, reluctant to enter. He knew the mess that awaited him on the other side.

After stopping at one of the shops on the Promenade that sold gourmet coffees, teas and just about any type of pastry and croissant available, Cassidy had chosen several sinfully decadent fruit pastries, a few large croissants - along with three different types of jam - and two venti sized cups of coffee. She remembered the type Jackson drank from the morning she had made breakfast for him. Carrying the tray with the coffees in one hand and the bag with the pastries in the other, she once again set out for Jackson’s quarters, hoping she’d catch him home this time.

A few people on the Promenade recognized her from the club and waved, even though she wasn’t dressed up like she was for work. Today she was completely comfortable and casual. A white off the shoulder top with thin purple satin straps, low-rise jeans and a pair of well worn cowboy boots. After wearing her hair up the past several nights, she’d left it long and flowing in loose curls.

Stepping off the lift, Cassidy made her way slowly down the corridor. Approaching her destination, she glanced up and received a pleasant surprise. The very man she was looking for, standing outside his quarters. She wasn’t even aware of the smile that lit up her face when she saw him.

“Hey there, stranger,” she drawled softly. “Fancy meetin’ you here.”

“I live here.” Jackson smiled at her, but he looked drawn and tired. “How’re you this mornin’?”

“Way ta state the obvious,” she shot back. Her gaze traveled over his features, taking in how weary he looked. Even if she couldn’t see it, she could feel it. “Slightly better rested than you, I’m guessin’. Feel like havin’ some coffee?” She held up the carry tray and wiggled the bag with the pastries. “Maybe a bite ta eat?”

“Yeah, come on in, but pardon the mess. I sorta trashed the place after I left the club.” He opened the doors and led the way in, then stopped in his tracks. The previously tumbled living room was back in perfect order and there was a piece of paper on the coffee table.

Cassidy walked in, looked around, not seeing anything really that looked trashed and placed the coffee and bag down on the coffee table. Leaning down, she picked up the paper. It was a note from Vic.

J,
I came by to snake the dumplings. I know tonight was rough so I thought I'd pitch in. Call me later.
V

Smiling at Vic’s thoughtfulness, she turned and handed the note to Jackson. “Do ya wanna go get changed outta last night’s clothes?” she asked, tugging on his tuxedo shirt. “I’m gonna go get a couple of plates.” She reached up and squeezed his shoulder as she walked past, then disappeared into the kitchen.

“I do, and get clean. Give me a few to run through the shower an’ I’ll be out.” He hesitated a moment. “Thanks for this Cass. An’ I’m sorry for takin’ off without lettin’ ya know I was leavin’.”

“Take all the time ya need. I’m not goin’ anywhere.” She came back, carrying plates and some silverware. Looking up at him, she held his gaze. “Yer welcome...and don’t worry about last night. Vic and I managed to get everythin’ closed up just fine.” She thought about saying she knew he was upset when he left, but decided not to be the first to bring it up. “Now shoo...go run ‘round in the shower.”

He nodded and vanished into his bedroom. Moments later she could hear the shower running and Jackson giving a groan of satisfaction as the hot water soothed his worn body.

Sighing heavily, Cassidy took a few moments to get everything out of the bag and arranged the pastries on one plate, the croissants on the other, with the jams lined up in between. She laid out napkins and the silverware, then wondered if he might have wanted to eat at the table instead. Rolling her eyes, she inwardly berated herself for making such a fuss. Big deal. If he wanted to move, they’d move. Easy as that. With everything in place, she had time to kill while waiting for him to finish with his shower.

Her gaze traveled to a bookcase along the wall, filled with actual books. Intrigued, she crossed the room and spent the next several minutes pulling books down, looking at them and moving onto the next one that caught her eye. Some were books she had read long ago, others ones she had wanted to read, but had never gotten around to them. Pulling another one down, it felt light for how thick the leather bound spine was. Curious, she flipped open the cover. The pages parted to reveal a hollowed out space. What the...? Inside, there weren’t valuables in the form of jewels or latinum or even some sort of keepsakes, but isolinear chips. The kind that held lots of data.

“Aww, shit.” Cassidy frowned and flipped the cover closed, realizing she’d inadvertently stumbled across something private and not meant to be messed with. She hadn’t been snooping and it wasn’t as if she knew what was on the chips, but she reached up and placed the book back on the shelf carefully and moved onto the next section of books.

A few minutes later Jackson emerged, his hair lose and still damp. He wore a pair of black silk pajama pants and a black tank top and he smelled slightly spicy form whatever shower gel he’d used.

“Much better. Now I won’t offend anyone.”

Cassidy glanced over her shoulder at him. She’d made it as far as his music collection. If he hadn’t come out, she’d probably be pouring over the albums for hours.

“Jackson, I think ya’d have ta go outta yore way ta offend people.” She laughed softly. “Even when ya need ta mow yore teeth and shave yore tongue, yer not that bad.”

“Flatterer. And this looks great.” He already had his coffee in hand and taking a sip. “Better, I might live.”

“Well that’s a relief,” she chuckled and turned back to look at the albums. Suddenly she let out an excited squeal and jumped. “Oh my! Ya have Billie Holiday!” Spinning around to face him, she clutched the album to her chest and gave him a wide-eyed, pleading look. “Please...can we listen ta this? I love this song.” The song in question was ‘The Very Thought of You’.

“Sure, put it on. The quality’s not what you’ll get from havin’ the computer play it but have at it.” He sat down on the sofa and stretched his legs out as he took another drink of the coffee. He was back in his own haven and it felt good here, peaceful.

It only took a moment to put the album on and turn the music up to a volume where it would be heard in the background, but not loud enough they’d have trouble having a conversation. Satisfied to at least have something playing so they wouldn’t be sitting there in silence, Cassidy came over and sat down next to him. Picking up her coffee, she took a sip before sitting back.

“Well, ya didn’t smell bad before, but ya smell good now.” Oh...brilliant one, Cass. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she leaned forward and scooted to the edge of the couch to get one of the fruit pastries.

Jackson drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I suppose I owe ya an explanation.” He looked down into his coffee and slowly swirled the cup.

Setting the raspberry cheesecake danish aside, she hesitated. “Only if ya wanna explain things. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Getting up, she walked over by the wall and kicked off her boots and tugged off her socks, knowing she wasn’t risking anything like stinky feet by removing them. If he wanted to have a serious talk, that meant getting comfortable. At least physically. She wasn’t sure how she’d feel in a few minutes after he started talking. Returning to the couch, sat back down curling her legs underneath her and looked at him.

“As you know, Oz came to see me last night. It was a...difficult conversation, Cass. One that will have long term....effects.”

Nodding, she forced herself to ignore her own feelings. This wasn’t about her. It was about Jackson and Oz. Without knowing it, she found herself staring at her lap. Not very supportive of you, Cassidy. You’re here to be his friend. So be it. Show him you’ll support him, no matter what.

“I kinda got that feelin’ by the way both of ya left.” Biting her lip, she looked up at him and took a deep breath. “I saw ya...when you were leavin’.”

“You did? I’m sorry if I just blew by. I had to get out before I....before I lost it.”

Before she could stop herself, she reached over and wrapped her fingers around his hand, squeezing it, trying to offer whatever paltry amount of comfort she could.

“It’s okay. You didn’t rush past me...” Now was one of those times she wished she were a full Betazoid. Not that she could make him forget his pain, but she’d be able to ease it some. Offer more than a lame squeeze to his hand. “I knew you had to get out. I could tell.”

Her gaze dropped to where she held his hand and she wondered if she was helping or making things worse. Then again, he was probably hurting so much, he might be completely oblivious about it. “Jackson, if this is too difficult for you...too painful...you don’t have to tell me...but if it would help you, I’ll always listen. No matter what you have to say.”

He pursed his lips, then tightened his hold on her hand. “She is pregnant, Cass.” he whispered.

Scooting over, she put her arm around him and pulled him close. “I’m sorry, Jackson.” There was nothing she could do to ease his pain. Not this kind. “I know what she meant to you...what you felt for her,” Cassidy whispered against his hair.

He could only nod a she held him close. “So that’s why she and I both blew out of there. It should be a happy time but she has no idea where Connor is. And I was faced with having to accept the....” He shrugged. “I came home trashed this place, then went to talk to Jan.”

At some point while she held him, she rocked him gently. Her hand had a mind of its own it seemed, and ended up in his hair. In the back of her mind, she knew he liked having his hair played with, but it also was such a soothing gesture. She knew what he hadn’t been able to finish saying. He had to accept that the baby wasn’t his. Now sure as hell wasn’t the time to remind him that Oz had made her choices long before now.

“Was Jan able to find the right thing to say to you? I’m sorry, I know there’s nothing that will make this better for you.” Cass was choking on emotions at the moment, but she couldn’t tell if they were his alone or how much of her own were mixed in there now. “You have no idea how much I wish I could make this better for you...” It was rare that Cassidy Wilde didn’t know the right thing to say, but she was at a loss now.

“I know it may not seem like much, but you’re not alone Jackson. You have friends that are willing to stand by you and help you get through anything.”

“Oz is the one who’s gonna need her friends, Cass.” Typical Jackson Banning, White Knight comment. It was the truth, however. “But yeah, Jan was what I needed. I suppose in some ways, it was like runnin’ home to Mom, but Jan’s my family out here and she’s wise beyond belief. She told me one thing - grieve and move on.”

“Oralia isn’t gonna be alone. Trust me, her friends will be there for her. I’ll help her out as well.” It took her a moment to notice she was still wrapped around him. She knew she should move back; give him some space.

“I’m glad you were able ta talk to Jan. Ya needed someone ta talk to last night. I shouldn’t have worried about ya bein’ alone.” Pressing a soft kiss to his hair, Cassidy finally sat back some. Enough to let go of him at least. “Ya know, the more I hear ‘bout Jan and the more I work with her, the more I like her. She sounds like a very sage woman, just like ya said. I’d have ta agree with her sweetheart. It’s good advice. Ya shouldn’t hold onta the things that hurt ya. It’ll just eat away at ya.”

That was true, Jackson knew. It had been eating away at him for longer than he cared to admit. “I saw Oz after we left too. We had a long talk Cass. I promised to do anything I could, but as her friend. She’s said she is gonna take some time and figure out what she wants out of life, which is the advice I gave her. I really think she needs to.”

“She does need to do that. It might take her a little while, but she’ll figure it out.” Reaching up, she casually wiped at the corners of her eyes. “No matter what she’s goin’ through or the history y’all share, I’m sure she appreciates that you’ll be there still...as her friend.”

Jackson nodded slowly. And it was true that he felt calmer after all this. “So, Jan and I sat around workin’ our way through a bottle of Saurian brandy, then I curled up on the sofa. We talked about a short vacation too, for me. Just gettin’ away for a coupla days. I think it’s a good idea, so I’m goin’ down to Archadia, hit the beach, be a bum. I know you haven’t seen the planet yet, you wanna come along?”

It was a good thing she wasn’t holding her cup of coffee or she would have dropped it. She hadn’t quite managed to hide her surprise, but at least she wasn’t gawking at him. Cassidy held his gaze, searching his blue eyes for something. Anything. Just trying to figure out what he was feeling.

“Me?” she finally asked when she felt she could speak without it coming out as a squeak. “And no, I haven’t been there.” A small smile curved her lips as she watched him. “So what...yer gonna be Mr. Beach Bum and a tour guide?”

“Pretty much. Archadia’s a beautiful place and I could do with some sun, sand, and trees. Not quite home but similar.” He reached for a croissant finally. “And some hot weather and the sound of the surf and....no thinkin’.”

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she nodded. “It sounds lovely. So does the no thinkin’ part.” She frowned for a moment, then unfolded her long legs and pushed off the couch. Moving quietly, she padded barefoot over to the sound system and put the Billie Holiday album away.

“Yer tryin’ ta kill me, aren’tcha?” Laughing briefly, she shook her head. The man had no idea how he affected her.

“How so?” He watched her put the album away, wondering at her sudden urge to change the music.

A low strangled, frustrated growl escaped before she could cut it off. Clearing her throat, she continued to flip through the music collection. She knew what was coming next. Her wayward, runaway mouth always came up with embarrassing one - two punches and then would sit back and laugh gleefully at the trouble it got her into.

“You...bathing suit...water...” she muttered under her breath, but of course there was something wrong with the volume control on her vocal chords. Her words carried just fine.

Jackson smiled now. “Hopefully I won’t frighten you or any small children. We’re leavin’ tomorrow, Cass. Pack casual. As much time as we spend in formal dress, we’ll have none of that this trip.”

“Frighten me? Ha! I’ve seen ya in far less than a pair of swim trunks and didn’t run screamin’ for the hills,” she blurted out, turning to look at him. Oh hell. Troublesome mouth - up by two. Cassidy - zip. She scrunched up her face and came back over to the couch to flop down on it, her normal grace chucked out the nearest airlock. Maybe if she ate her danish, her mouth would be too busy to keep tossing out more embarrassing, yet amusing gems.

Jackson groaned aloud, then smiled. “Oh shit, that’s true. Thanks, Cass, I was trying to block out the fact that I stripped down to nothin’ right in front of ya, then passed out. Not my finest moment by a long shot.”

She fell back into the cushions giggling and smiling widely. “Perhaps not, but it wasn’t exactly the worst moment ever and yer by far the cutest drunk I’ve ever seen.” Laying her head back, she looked at him and wiggled her eyebrows. “There I was, thinkin’ ya were finally gonna kiss me and then timber!” Cassidy smiled, then sighed. “It’s a cryin’ shame, too. The opening act looked so promisin’.”

Jackson picked up a small throw pillow beside him and tossed it at her. “Hush you. Now get home and pack. We’re leavin’ early and I need to get to the club and make some arrangements before we go and before the crowd hits tonight.”

Batting the pillow away in midair, she stuck her tongue out at him. “Hush this,” she shot back and made a face. “Spoilsport. Anyone ever tell ya yer bossy?”

“All the time.” He stretched a moment and stood, carrying his coffee cup back to the kitchen. “I also need to find my inherited kid and see what’s up. Seyla called Jan’s and said somethin’s goin’ on that I need to check into. But first, some sleep I think.”

Cassidy coughed when Jackson mentioned Eli and got up to collect her socks and boots. Balancing on one foot at a time, she put her socks back on, the pulled on her boots. “Sleep would be a very good idea for ya right ‘bout now. Ya can deal with Eli and complicated later.” There was a mild emphasis on the word she was quickly learning to hate.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “What happened, Cass? I know that evasive tone.”

The boot got stuck on her heel, so she stomped on the floor a few times to get her foot the rest of the way in. “What evasive tone? I wasn’t usin’ one.” The way he was looking at her made her think he wouldn’t let it go until he had an answer he was satisfied with. What the hell? She hadn’t even really said anything.

“Nothin’ really. Just me stickin’ my nose where it doesn’t belong apparently and definitely not wanted.” She sighed and crossed her arms over her stomach. “I came by here last night, lookin’ for ya. I just wanted ta check on ya, but obviously as ya already know, ya weren’t here. Well, Eli had the same idea, but for different reasons. He was lookin’ for ya too. Well, me and my big mouth, I asked him what was wrong and if he wanted ta talk ‘bout it. I could tell he was outta sorts, not ta mention worried ya might be mad at ‘im. Well...I’m startin’ ta wonder if everybody on this blasted station uses it’s complicated as an excuse,” she huffed. “I’m startin’ ta hate that word.”

“Me too, Cass, me too. Especially when Seyla’s involved. I’ll get to the bottom of it though. After a nap.”

“I’m sure ya will.” Closing the distance between them, Cassidy leaned up and pulled him down for a hug. “Let me know if ya need anythin’. Ya know where I am if ya need me. For now, I’ll get goin’ so you can get some sleep.” Pulling back slightly, she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Sleep well, Jackson.”

“I will, see ya tonight.”

He stood watching as she left and the doors had closed. Little by little a thought swam to the surface in his mind and he began to wonder.....about several things. He really did need to talk to Eli. He sent a message requesting that Eli meet him in his quarters in two hours, then shuffled off to his bed to sleep....and maybe to dream.

*********

Jackson Banning V
Owner & Soon-To-Be Vacationer
The Nexus Club

Cassidy Wilde
Hostess & No Ordinary Friend
The Nexus Club