Oh Boy "
By: Giuseppe Silvio, Chief Engineer, [RNPC]
Patia Zoei, Chief Counselor, [PC]

Stardate: 58205.10 1800

==USS Zion - various locations==

Patia finalized her last report. She glanced at the pictures on her desk. Lucio stared back at her, his eyes almost piercing her with their intensity. He had been such a serious child. Smiles came frequently, but they didn't always reach his eyes. Her chin propped on her fist, she shifted her gaze to the picture of Lio's graduation day. It had been so hard when he gone back home to continue his schooling. Even though they didn't see each other often because of school schedules, it was very different when she knew he wouldn't be home for breaks as regularly as he had once been. Suddenly, she sat upright. Slowly, she shook her head. There were no pictures of her parents, no pictures of Lio's family, no current pictures at all on her desk. Everything she had was from when she was a child. She pushed back in her chair and wiped her hands along the legs of her pants. Tonight, she would find pictures of her beautiful niece and handsome nephews, her aging parents, and her brother and his beloved wife. They were all her family, they all had a piece of her heart and they all belonged her. Looking at faces from the present, rather than focusing on times of the past, would help her move forward with her life.

She glanced at her chronometer. It was 1830 already. She had planned to be out of the office no later than 1745. If she was going to be on time for dinner, she needed to get a move on.

She stood, her chair scooting backwards behind her. Patia grasped the chair and slid it back into place. A glance across her desk showed her work area clear and uncluttered. She was ready to start fresh tomorrow.

She strode from her office, headed for the Holodeck.

***

Silvio got ready quickly. He had beed delayed in engineering but had gotten finished in time to make his dinner date with Patia. He dressed casually and then headed for the holodeck. As he rode the tubolift it stopped on Deck 8 and Patia got on.

"Are you going my way," quipped Silvio.

Patia smiled slightly. "I do believe I am." Patia leaned against the wall for the brief ride to Deck 10. The pulses of the engine seemed to reverberate through her body as she rested.

The two of them got off on deck 10 and made their way to holodeck one. "Here we are," said Silvio. "Any particular program that you want to run?" Silvio had no idea what was involved with a Traditional Betazid Dinner.

The edge of Patia's lips tipped up. She reached past Silvio to enter a sequence on the keypad. The doors slid open and they entered a garden. The back of a brick house, with a smooth, stone patio was to their left. The grassy expanse sloped down to the edge of a steep drop off. Several large trees edged the property. Their graceful, curving branches shaded the rear of the yard. The scent of lilacs wafted on the light breeze. As Patia gazed out over the yard, the Bay sparkled in the distance. Sailboats dotted the water close to shore. Further out, a large cargo ship slid into the Bay, under the bridge spanning the water.

Silvio looked around. It was San Francisco. It was not what he expected but he did not say anything. He was not sure but he felt that the counselor was setting him up for something.

"Wasn't what you were expecting, was it?" Patia asked. As her glance swept the garden, a sense of peace washed over her. It was so good to be home, even if it was in a holosuite.

Silvio shook his head. "I was expecting Betazid," he said.

"I didn't live on Betazid until I was in my twenties. My father was an ambassador. They came to Earth when Lio was small and they didn't leave until I was at school in Betazid. They spent close to forty years here. It is amazing to me to think of that much time in a place that is not your home. I guess you just make it your home, then." Patia shifted slightly from one foot to the other.

"So this is your childhood home then," asked Silvio.

"This is my parents' home. This is where I came home on holidays, but I spent most of my time at school in Washington DC." Patia strolled down the lawn. "This was my favorite place, though, when I was here. I could watch the boats for hours."

"It is a nice home," said Silvio.

"Thank you, my mother would be pleased to hear that. She was very proud of the home she kept," Patia smiled. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," said Silvio. It was the truth. He had not eaten much today and was starving. "What's for dinner?"

Patia giggled. "A traditional Betazid dinner is what I promised. It is what you will get. Walk with me," Patia slid her arm into the crook of Silvio's arm and turned him back toward the house. Abruptly, she paused. She could be sending the wrong message to him, especially after the comments Sam Carter had made earlier in the day.

Silvio smiled as started to walk towards the house with her. When she hesitated Silvio said, "What's wrong?"

Patia tugged her hand free from his arm. She giggled nervously. "You know, someone said the funniest thing to me today. "

Silvio rather liked her hand there and missed it when she took it away. "What was that." He wondered if he had said or done something wrong.

"Do you know Sam Carter?" Patia asked.

"Yes, Security right," asked a confused Silvio.

"Yes. I ran into her, at Miranda's. She asked me about you. Actually, she asked me if it was 'true about us'. Then she said she thought you had a crush on me," Patia giggled, her voice a bit high pitched. "I was just thinking, if she had walked into the holodeck right now, she would have had a real reason to ask."

Silvio's heart actually skipped a beat. "Would it be such a bad thing if it were true?"

Patia's hands dropped to her sides. She balled them into fists and then she relaxed slowly. "Um," she cleared her throat. "Um, no, I guess I wouldn't say it was a bad thing." Her stomach knotted tightly and her breathing sped up.

Silvio tried without much success to control the beat of his heart. This was a very odd moment for him. What should he do now? He pulled himself together, looked her in the eyes and said, "Patia, I do have feelings for you."

"Oh boy, I don't know what to say," Patia felt shell shocked. Slowly, she raised her right hand to her chest. She rubbed the base of her throat. Her stomach lurched slightly. This certainly had not been something she had expected to hear tonight.

Silvio hoped that he had not made a big mistake. It was too soon. He should have kept silent about his feelings. He was committed now, however, there was no going back. "I am confused myself," he said. "All I know is I think about you several times a day, and look forward to spending time with you and am sad when I do not get to see you." Silvio paused looking at the stunned expression on her face. "I do not know what it all means and I have never felt like this about anyone before but I think these feelings are worth exploring... If you want to I mean." Silvio felt as if his heart was going to pound right out of his chest. He looked to her face for any sign of how she might feel about this issue.

Slowly, Patia shook her head. "We need to talk. Let's go back to my office."

Patia strode toward where the arch should be. "Computer, end program."

Silvio watched as the scene in the holodeck faded. "This can not be good," he thought as he followed the counselor out of the holodeck.