The Commander's Lieutenant

Part 42

Taz wasn't sure what to expect- Vomiting? Dizziness? Unending headaches? Unluckily for her, she had all three in spades. She groaned and clutched a pillow tightly over her head. Up stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to her, stretching along the way.

'Mornin'.' He whispered by her ear.

Taz replied snakily in Spanish, but it was too mumbled for him to understand. 'Care to translate?'

She shook her head, and finally sat up. Her head was a few inches from the roof, but her hair was a mess and stuck up in every direction. She didn't look as though she had a hangover, but her face suddenly turned green. Up produced a bucket, and Taz gratefully clung to it.

'I am never drinking again.' Her voice echoed from the bucket.

'Aw what a shame. And here I thought you could handle your alcohol.' Up retorted from his own bed.

'Cállate, jou big oaf. I can handle de alcohol, but not de after effects.'

He dropped back onto his pillow, and called out to her. 'If ya can tell me the last thing you said before goin' to sleep, I'll take it back.'

Taz sat back up and opened her mouth, but it quickly closed. 'Jou win. But I could still kick jour ass drunk.'

Up nodded in agreement. Only if I was drunk, too. He looked down at the small box in his hands, turning it over and wondering when would be the best time to give it to her. Never sounds like a good plan... No. Dead God damn it, I gotta. But where?

Taz's head dropped over the edge. 'Can we go to de Sky Deck later? It might clear my head.'

Up quickly shoved the box in his pocket, and nodded with a smile. She smiled back and dragged herself back to her bunk, snuggling into her cocoon.

Up took a breath and stood back to his feet, then turned to look at Taz. She was already asleep again.

'I'll be back in a few hours Taz- just gotta pick up some new equipment.' He put his hand on her blanket and pulled it closer to her cheek.

'You are gonna be the end of me, Taz.' Up whispered, then closed the door behind him and thundered off to the gym.

Up had been gone for about eight hours, and Taz hadn't moved. He finally returned, dragged her off her bed and practically forced her into the shower. She whined the whole time, but it helped her headache. She finished getting ready, but then realised she had no idea why. She shrugged, then remembered he was taking her to the Sky Deck. Every new Level 2 recruit had gotten the week off to celebrate surviving the first hellish months, and they had pulled the Starship into the Mothership in space. It almost doubled the Level 2 Academy, and had hundreds of fancy stores and restaurants, as well as housing for the retired Rangers or highest in the ranks.

The rules on Level 2 were slightly different than Level 1- no one cared about your business as long as you kept it to yourself, there were no fraternisation rules (except between instructors and students), and the only real rule was to handle your own problems by any means necessary. Unfortunately for the other students, that was bad news when it came to Taz's temper.

One of Up's promises he made on the drop-pod was an official date, and he knew the perfect place. It was where his own parents had met- the Sky Deck on Level 14 of the Mothership. Everyone assumed that Taz and Up were far too tough to have anything going on behind the scenes, but girls still had the occasional crack at flirting with Up, often leaving with a broken ego (or bone). Taz, however, was pestered almost every day for the first two weeks at Level 2. Whether being insulted or hit on, Taz proved her combat skills and took any opportunity to show off. The requests and taunts finally stopped, and they accepted her as a fellow Ranger instead of a child.

The corridors were empty- everyone had already scrambled off for shore leave. Up's mouth dropped open as the bathroom door opened to reveal Taz.

Taz felt her cheeks grow hot as he stared. 'Shut jour trap, Up. It's nada special- just me.'

He stood up from his bed and walked over to her, grabbing her hands. 'You are special Taz. And beautiful. And more than I could ever wish for.'

'Going soft, Up?' She teased, trying to get off the subject.

He tousled her hair, receiving an arrogant glare. 'Ya gonna cut it again?' Up asked, letting the dark curls fall through his fingers.

'Maybe. But not for a little while.' She replied with a wicked grin.

'And why is that Taz?' Up asked, guiding her over to the door.

Taz shrugged. 'Somebody likes running deir fingers through it.'

Up's hand froze on the doorknob, and he turned his head to look at her. She was looking down at her right hand, pretending to be interested in her fingernails. A smile crept across her face when he turned back to the door and opened it for her, bowing like a gentleman. Taz hadn't felt like a girl in a long time, but Up knew just what to do to make her head spin. She grabbed his arm, and Up led her to the Sky Deck.

Taz hadn't stopped staring around her since they arrived- the ceiling was made of pure glass and looked out into space, and Taz was mesmerised. No matter how many times she had seen it, it was different tonight. They weren't on a training mission- it was just her, and Up. Even at Level 2, they'd only been on one mission, and it was a clean-up of left over robot and human debris on the front line. No one had finished the battle- the entire base had been destroyed, and everyone in it was along for the ride.

Finally, the food arrived and Taz dug in. Up was a little nervous, but still managed to keep down his food. His fork shook as he tried to shovel a piece of beef into his mouth, and Taz quickly looked away. Mierda... What is he up to?

Up reached into his pocket, and pulled out the box under the table. He opened it and took a quick glance, trying to gather the strength to say what he had been dying to say for months. Taz saw him looking down at his hands- Is he nervous? Ah sh-

'Taz- I made ya a pretty big promise a few months ago on the day we left for Level 2. The best birthday present ever- and it didn't really take me long to find it. But before ya jump to conclusions, I need ya to understand.' Up hadn't looked at her, and Taz could feel her face growing hot.

She felt as if the whole room was spinning and looking at her. She looked around, trying to see a familiar face, but her eyes kept going back to Up. He finally moved his head to look at her, his blue eyes looking even deeper than they had before. Every suspicion melted away, and her heart jumped as he grabbed her wrists. Up looked down at her hands, then back to her eyes with a sly grin.

'I felt that.'

Taz snorted, snatching her hands away to cover her face. Up grabbed her wrists again, lowering them to the table.

'Teresa Alanza Zegarra, Taz. Every time I make ya a promise, I intend to keep it. This little thing is a way of showing ya that, and every time you look at it, you'll remember.'

Up took a breath, and held out a fist. Taz, frozen in shock and concern rising, held out her small hand to take whatever he was going to give her. She closed her eyes as Up opened his hand, and felt a cool metal hit her palm. She close her hand over it, clutching it to her chest.

'Don't open your hand yet. There's somethin' else I wanna say. I really do think that you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, and you deserve so much more than what I can give ya. Although I think you're stupid for stickin' with me, I want ya to trust me when I say this.'

Taz hadn't opened her eyes again, but Up gave her a little kick under the table. Her eyes flew open and her nose scrunched up, but he could see a smile trying to not break.

'I love you Taz. I do. And if you look at that thing in your hand every day, whether I'm here or not, you'll remember this promise. I promise to love you forever, and let you know how amazin' you are every chance I get.'

Taz grasped her hand closer to her chest, and slowly put it down onto the table. Up peeled back her fingers, and she saw it.