Title - The Heart Never Lies.
Author - OblivionsGarden.
Genre - Romance/Sci-Fi
Disclaimer - I do not own Starship or any of it's characters in any way, shape or form. I only own the plot.
Summary - Set after Starship. Taz and Up try to find the courage to tell each other how they feel, TUP

A/n - My first ever Starship piece. :D I decided to make Taz 23 and Up would be around 37. Song is 'The Heart Never Lies' by McFly. I was listening to it last night, and it made me think of Taz and Up, so I wrote this. Also, the Spanish was done on google translate, since I don't speak Spanish. So I apologize for any mistakes. At the bottom is a list of what the Spanish should mean, according to google.

Some people laugh, some people cry.

Up watched Taz from his seat. Her face was dead straight, void of emotion, just like usual. The rangers were on their way back to Earth for the first time in months after successfully colonizing another planet. The mission, albeit a successful one, had been dangerous also. Up had lost alot of his men on this mission. Taz had lost some of the few friends that she had. Beside Up, Tootsie laughed at something Mega-girl had said and Up noticed Taz glance at the pair, her eyes ablaze. Was she angry? A little. But Up noticed something else in her eyes. Sadness? Maybe. Jealousy? Surely not.

Some people live, some people die.

Up stood and moved to sit beside her.
"Taz." He greeted. She nodded in response but otherwise stayed silent. She fiddled with her dog tags, still staring straight ahead. The pair were far on the other side of the vessel from the rest of the crew.
"People die, Taz." Up commented. Taz nodded again. "It's OK to be upset, Taz. They were your friends."
"I'm not upset." Her voice, however, proved her wrong. It wavered and broke on the last syllable and she looked down at the floor. "Jou think I would be used to it by now. I saw my familia die, I've seen countless rangers die. Christ, Up! I nearly saw jou dead, too!"
Up draped an arm around the small Mexicans shoulders.
"Yeah, but you didn't. I'm right here."

Some people run, right into the fire.

The day after the rangers arrived back on Earth, a funeral was held, to commemorate the fallen. At the end of the ceremony, Up saw Taz stood alone, staring down at a grave. he walked over and stood beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She didn't turn, she knew it was Up. The grave was marked 'Jimmy Saunders. A hero.' It was simple, but fitting.
"He's the reason we're alive, Up." Taz murmured. "If he hadn't ran out to make a distraction...If we'd had stopped him..."
"Taz, don't do it to yourself. If I listed all the times I wished I could've saved my men, I'd be talking till I died."

Some people hide, their every desire.

After the ceremony there was a small gathering of rangers at a local bar. Taz, as usual, was beside up the entire time. There were alot of things Taz wanted to tell him, but it wasn't the right time. Beside, she didn't want him thinking she'd gone soft.
Up didn't leave Taz's side all night. His hand occasionally brushed hers or their knees would touch and he'd go tense. Every muscle in his body, reacting to how she made him feel.
Towards the end of the night, the newly widowed wife of one of the fallen rangers stood, a glass in hand.
"I'd like to say a few words...Just..don't put anything off. If you want to do something then do it, cause you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. If I could tell my husband I loved him one more time, I would. Life is too short to sit around, thinking something bad is going to happen if you do something you want to do. If you want to dance in the middle of the street naked, do it. If you want to sing in front of a crowd, do it. If you love someone, tell them. You might not get another chance." She lifted her glass. "To the fallen."
The rest of the rangers lifted their drinks. "The fallen." They all repeated before taking a drink. Up, watched Taz, knowing what the woman had said was right, but when it came down to it, he'd never felt more ball-less in his life. He'd fought wars and aliens and colonized planets but he couldn't tell one small girl how he felt.

But we are the lovers. If you don't believe me. Then just look into my eyes, cause the heart never lies.

"And now, we dance?" Up held his hand out to Taz who stared at him in shock. Eventually she slipped her gloved hand into his and let him lead her to the dance floor. The stopped and faced each other, Up holding one of Taz's hands in his, the other was on his shoulder and his on her waist.
"Esto es as ridicuous." Taz grumbled.
"It's just a dance, Taz. Relax."
The stepped in time to the music and Taz, eventually, found herself completely relaxed in Up's arms. She looked into his striking blue eyes with a smile, wishing that she had the nerve to tell him how she really felt. Why did she have to go on and on about being tough all the time. If she hadn't she could've told him without sounding like a hypocrite. His eyes flashed, and Taz saw something so intense, she couldn't look away. She tried and failed to identify what it was that she'd seen when the song finished and the pair separated.

Some people fight, some people fall.

It was another three weeks before Up's team were assigned a new mission. Now, as they silently crept through marshland, they heard an explosion, followed by a scream. The crew turned to see one of their newest recruits, Lucy, lay on the floor, unmoving and surrounded by her own blood. A few members of the crew gulped, other grimaced and winced. Up, although saddened to loose another ranger, stayed on task.
"Come on, stay focused guys." He whispered.

Others pretend they don't care at all.

Taz didn't flinch at the explosion, or Lucy's scream. She didn't make a face at the sight of her body or the metallic smell of her blood. The whole crew thought Taz had lost the ability to care after their last mission. Up, knew different. He knew how her mind worked. If she cared, other would think she was weak. If she cared, she'd loose whatever she cared about. So she didn't care. Or at least that's what she told people.
Another explosion in front of them, trapped the crew. Their vessel was back behind them, and it was their only means of survival. Blocking their way to the vessel, was 10 very large, very mean and very angry ulkomaalaisten. Taz turned to the crew.
"What is it, lieutenant?" Whispered Up.
"When I say go, you get back to the vessel. Understand?" She whispered back.
"What?" Up paused for a second. "Taz, you are not going out there you'll die!"
"If I go out there, I die. If I stay here, we all die."
"No. You're not going." Up was angry. How could she ever contemplate doing that to herself?
"So your going to kill the whole crew? Qu diablos te pasa?"
"I will not see my Lieutenant, sacrifice herself."
"Mala Suerte." Taz hesitated only for a second, to commit the blue of Up's eyes to memory before jumping from her hiding place and marching towards the ulkomaalaisten.

If you wanna fight, I'll stand right beside you.

"Bring it on, hitos de puta!"
"You heard the lady!"
Up moved to stand beside Taz, his face set into a grimace as he looked at the ten ulkomaalaisten surrounding them.
"Lieutenant?"
"Si?"
"You're confined to quarters for defying orders. Understand?"
Taz opened her mouth uselessly as the first creature started towards her. Both Commander and Lieutenant shot at it until another came up behind Up. Up turned so he was back to back with Taz. The rest of the ulkomaalaisten started towards the pair and Taz took it as her signal.
"GO! GO NOW!" She screamed, still firing her zapper in every direction. They'd taken down two, locals when the remaining crew dashed from their hiding place back to vessel.
"Lieutenant?" Up called over his shoulder.
"Que?"
"I said, do you understand?"
"Si , pero creo que eres un idiota!"
Up thanked dead god he'd learnt the basics of Spanish as he took down another.
"And why's that Lieutenant?"
"Jou should have gone with the crew. Ahora los dos estamos muertos!"

The day that you fall, I'll be right behind you.

"Not yet we're not, Taz!" Up spun around, kicking his leg out to trip Taz over. When she landed on her face, her knelt over her placing on hand on her back, to keep her in down.
"What are you doing?" She whispered.
"Trust me. On my word, run. I'll be right behind you." He whispered back, He glanced side on at the ulkomaalaisten, waiting until they were practically on top of them.
"Run."
Taz pushed herself off the floor, her small size giving her extra speed, and took off, in the direction they'd come to the ship in.
Up, shot one pew at the closest creature before following Taz. The ulkomaalaisten were so shocked when they seemingly, injured victims ran off, it took them a good 15 seconds before the confusion faded and they marched after them.
Up and Taz reached the vessel and sped inside, startling Specs.
"Let's get out of here, Krayonder!" Up, Krayonder and Taz took control of the vessel, launching her into the air before Tootsie even had a chance to close the hatch.

To pick up the pieces, if you don't believe me. Just look into my eyes, cause the heart never lies.

When they were safely away from the planet and heading back to the larger starship, Taz went down to the engine room. Up, followed her, leaving Krayonder in charge. He found her sat against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest, resting her forehead against them. She looked so small and broken it was painful for Up to look at her. He went over and sat beside her, wordlessly. Taz knew it was Up. It was always Up. She lifted her head and smiled at him.
"Hola, Taz."
Taz shook her head at Up's awful imitation of her accent.
"8 years today, huh?"
Taz nodded, suprised her remembered. 8 years since her Quinceanera. 8 years since she watched her family die.
"You know, maybe you should remember your Quinceanera for something else. Something better."
"Como lo?"
Up thought for a while before he wrapped an arm around her small shoulders. "Well, it's eight years since you met me."
Taz smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Si. Ocho a os de amistad." She said, somewhat regretfully.

Another year over and we're still together. It's not always easy but I'm here forever.

Up thought back to the bar, three weeks ago and everything the woman had said. He could've died today, so could Taz. He took a deep breath.
"I'll always be here, you know Taz. Even when it gets tough. Tougher than we've had before."
"Si."
"But..."
"Pero?"
"But...but I don't think I can just be your friend anymore."
"What do jou mean, Up?"
"Taz, I...I love you, lieutenant." He removed his arm from her shoulders and looked down at the floor.

We are the lovers. I know you believe me. When you look into my eyes. Cause the heart never lies.

Taz moved to kneel in front of Up, placing her small hands either side of his face. She lifted his head so he was looking her straight in the eyes. Her dark brown orbs searched his blue, for what she'd seen when they danced and it was there, stronger than ever. She smiled lightly, a true smile, as she ran her thumb across his scar.
"Yo tambi n te quiero, est pido." Gently she leant forward and pressed her lips to his in a kiss that both of them had waited nearly eight years four. They sat together in the engine room for a while, in silence, just enjoying eachothers company, until Up spoke.
"You're still confined to quarters for defying orders, lieutenant."
Taz stood with a laugh. "Si comandante. Tal vez usted me podr a unirse." She walked off leaving up to frantically try and work out what she'd just said.

Spanish to English -

Esto es as ridicuous - This is ridiculous.

Qu diablos te pasa - What the hell is wrong with you?

Mala Suerte - Tough luck.

Hito de puta - Sons of bitches

Si - Yes.

Que - What?

Si. Pero creo que eres un idiota. - Yes, but I think you're an idiot.

Ahora los dos estamos muertos. - Now we're both dead.

Como lo - Like What?

Si. Ocho anos de amistad - Yes, eight years of friendship.

Pero - But.

Yo tambi n te quiero, est pido - I love you too, stupid.

Si comandante. Tal vez usted me podr a unirse - Yes commander, maybe you could join me.

Again, I apologize if any of the Spanish is wrong. Blame google.

-
Ulkomaalaisten - Alien. (In Finnish.)