Lady and the Tramp"
By: Maxine Lucinda Tapert, Computer Specialist, [PC]
M'Ressha Mikaht, Fighter Pilot, [RNPC]

Stardate: 58207.05 1805

He was looking forward to the month-long shoreleave he had but was already fretting about the bad news. He had to tell Max.

He wanted to chime her door and see if she wanted to go for a bite to eat. As much time they had spent together on the Pacifica Mission he felt like she was a good friend. But then he wasn't always sure. Humans were kind of funny that way.

He turned and stood in front of her door a moment and then rang the chime.

If he didn't know any better he'd have sworn she was standing there waiting for him to ring it because the door practically *sprang* open at his touch. "Hey," she grinned up at him, clearly pleased to see him.

"Uhm..Hi!" he said, waving his paw awkwardly.

"I was just in the area and I thought I would see if you wanted to, uhm, get some food."

"I'd love it. M'starved. Krystal's making 'erself at 'ome in the replicator and it's a major pain t' get 'er out of it," Max told him, waving toward the interior where Krystal could be seen flitting about and singing while she turned the replicator into some kind of treasure-laden Pixie Lair.

The little hologram stopped for a moment when she heard her name mentioned and waved at Blitzer. "Hihihi!"

Blitzer waved at Krystal and then turned to Maxine, "Great! let's go!"

"M'ready," Maxine grinned up at him and then stepped from the room. The door swooshed closed behind them, shutting out the gaily singing voice of a pixie setting up house.

"Where to?" Max asked him. "I'm not familiar with where's good to eat and where's not," she told him.

"I don't know either," replied the Cait, "I've only been to Quark's once, there was more gambling going on there than eating. Let's go down to the promenade and see what is there," he said offering his arm.

"Oh, an Adventure," Max grinned as she took his arm. "I like adventures. Just... No bugs, eh?" she teased, reminding him of that ugly thing they picked up on the last mission.

They walked down and wandered the promenade.

Blitzer stopped and looked at Max. "Before we eat, I have some...unfortunate news."

"That doesn't sound good..." Maxine frowned as she stopped when he did and looked up at him. "What kind of bad news?"

"Our marine company is being transferred to the Arizona," said with a little sadness in his voice.

Maxine blinked and her frown deepened a little. "Transferred? But wait... that means...." Her face fell as exactly what that did mean sunk in. "Oh..." Her tone held as much sadness as his, perhaps a little more. She drew in a small breath and offered him a rather weak smile. "I'm going to miss you," she admitted. Maxine didn't have many friends, and to lose the one she *did* have was going to be hard.

He put his paw on her shoulder, "I know, I'm going to miss you too."

"Come," he said, "Let's find some food."

They walked a ways further and found a restaurant that was supposed to look like something from Earth's earlier history.

"Veeinice," pronounced Blitzer slowly.

He shrugged at Maxine, "what do you think?"

"Looks Italian," she observed as she looked from it to him. "That means... Do you like pasta?"

"I don't know, I've never had it before," said Blitzer. "Is it good?"

"Oh yeah," she smiled up at him and tugged on his arm. "C'mon, you 'ave t' try Italian at least once in your life. Although technically pizza is Italian. And you've 'ad that."

Blitzer smiled, "Ok, let's try it."

They sat down and a waiter came and gave them paper menus. Blitzer smiled, it was a quaint experience.

"And what can I get for you tonight? How about a little wine to start off with, hmm?" asked the waiter with a smile. "And I recommend the lasagna.. squisito," he kissed his fingers in the traditional Italian way to indicate how good it was. "And the veal parmesan... magnificent!"

Maxine blinks and looks from the waiter over to Blitzer. "Uhhmm.. Wine sounds good..."

Blitzer nodded, "I'll let you order." said Blitzer trusing Max's taste.

"Oh... Okay..." she smiled at the Cait and then turned her attention to the waiter. "We'll 'ave some wine then. And why not bring us some of the lasagna, and the veal parmesan for us t' share.. Maybe some breadsticks? Do you like salad?" she turned back to Blitzer to ask him.

The waiter smiled and nodded and wrote on his little tablet.

"Uhm, no..." said Blitzer, "but the breadsticks sound good."

"Roight," she smiled and looked back at the waiter. "No salad, but definitely the breadsticks. Oh, and bring a bowl of spaghetti, can't experience Italian food without spaghetti."

The waiter grinned stuck his pencil back behind his ear. "Good choices. Very good choices. I will bring the wine and the breadsticks first," he told them and was off to do just that.

Maxine turned her attention to Blitzer then. "When do you leave?" she asked.

Blitzer's ears drooped slightly, "at the end of the month." Blitzer looked up as the Waiter set down the wine glasses and breadsticks.

"I took them fresh from the oven myself, so they're still hot," the waiter grinned at them, indicating the breadsticks. "Mangi, mangi... mmm.. eat, eat.. I'll be back."

Maxine couldn't help but smile up at the waiter, thanking him before he left again, and then she turned her attention back to Blitzer, her smile turning down slightly at the corners... The end of the month....

Blitzer dipped the breadstick in the olive oil and munched the end off. "..The Arizona is going be stationed on the Cardassian Theater of Operation," said Blitzer.

Maxine frowned and took a breadstick of her own. "That's dangerous..." she pointed out before dipping the tip in olive oil. "But at least it's not too far away..." She didn't sound very convinced though.

The waiter brought the spaghetti just then and set it on the table between them with a flourish. "It is *very* good," he told them as he set empty bowls before both of them and then tossed the spaghetti with two spoons. "With just a hint of wine in the sauce," he kissed his fingers again and grinned at them. "Would you like me to dish it up?" he asked, and at Maxine's head shake, grinned and nodded. "I will return!" And he left them to dish up their own.

"Oh!" said Blitzer, "It looks like gahg!"

"But it doesn't squirm around on its own," Max pointed out as she took the spoons and dished some up in his bowl and then hers.

He plunged in his spoon and tried to scoop some up. The noodles promptly slid off and landed back on the plate with a splat. "Hmm.." said Blitzer wiping the sauce off his uniform.

Maxine grinned at him. "The traditional way to eat it is to scoop up a bit on the end of the fork and twirl it around, like this..." she demonstrated, using a spoon to help contain the twirling. "But it's spaghetti.. so you can slurp it up like a worm too," she grinned.

He tried to mimic Max but his paws lacked the dexterity of multi-jointed human fingers.

He managed to nab the end of the noodle and slurped it in. Wiping the sauce from his chin.

"Delicious!" he said.

Max giggled and nodded. "That's the way," she told him, and promptly did exactly the same thing. "Spaghetti's like... the best," she told him, grabbing up her breadstick to gesture with and use to push against the fork. "It's even good cold.. Like Pizza."

Blitzer had better luck with the breadstick. He slurped down another bite and drank some of the wine.

The waiter appeared again, smiling at them. "Is everything to your liking?" he asked, looking from one to the other of them.

Blitzer, his mouth full of spaghetti, with several ends dangling down like stray whiskers, nodded his head in approval has he slurped it down. "Very."

"It's delicious," Maxine offered.

"Oh buon, buon.. good, good," the waiter smiled. "Can I pour more wine for you sir? Or the signora.. er.. the lady?" his smile widened into a full blown grin.

Maxine giggled and nodded to Blitzer since the waiter seemed to be asking *him*.

Blitzer motioned and replied, "Please."

About that time a musician who was softly playing an accordion began walking towards their table as he wound his way though the other diners. The waiter grinned when he heard the music and winked at Blitzer as he topped off their wine glasses. "I asked Mario to serenade you and the signora."

Max was hiding her grin behind her wineglass and looking at Blitzer over the rim as she took a sip.

"Serenade? but..." Blitzer started to protest, but turned and looked at Max. She seemed to be enjoying it. It was almost like a hologram, thought Blitzer, the music, the smell and taste of the food, the little candle on the wooden table. It made him forget about the Arizona. All that mattered was the 'here and now.'

Blitzer picked up his glass, "to Tony's Venice Ristorante."

"To Tony's," Maxine held up her glass towards his, smiling warmly at him. Pleasure and mirth were dancing in the depth of her eyes. "And to you coming by tonight. I'm so glad you did. I'm enjoying myself," she told him.

The waiter discretely disappeared while Mario kept up the impromptu serenade.

Blitzer seemed to relax a lot more, letting his natural guard go...

He smiled, "Yeah, me too," he confessed.

"Care to dance?"

Max blinked. "Uhhh... Will you laugh if I tell you I don't know 'ow?" she asked with slightly pinkening cheeks. "And.. will you show me anyway?"

"Of course," said Blitzer, "I'm afraid I dance like I have two left paws too, so I shall agree not to laugh if you don't"

He stood up and held out his paw for her.

"Oh, m'not going t' laugh," she assured him as she placed her hand in his paw and rose to her feet. "Just don't bite if I step on your feet or anything," she grinned.

--Later--

==Observation Deck===

Blitzer and Max sat together in a large lounge chair on one of the observation decks. They stared out at the Bajoran system where they could see several large planetary bodies.

"That was an excellent meal," said Blitzer. It was getting late, he didn't want to go.

Maxine wasn't making any move to leave either. "Mmm... It *was* good, wasn't it?" she agreed in a lazy, contented way. "It was the company as much as the food," she smiled warmly at him. "And the dancing was good too. I only stepped on your toes once."

"Which was one less than I stepped on yours," he noted.

"True," she laughed softly and reached over to touch the fur on the back of his paw. "I didn't mind," she tells him honestly.

Several long moments went by and Max never moved her hand from where it was lightly touching his.

"Will you keep in touch with me after I'm gone?" asked Blitzer.

"Oh hell yes," she blurted out and then her cheeks pinkened a little at her exuberance. "I mean...." she sighed and looked over at him, nodding and curling her fingers gently around one of his. "If that's okay with you."

Blitzer turned to her. He smiled and nodded, "I would like that."

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