Title: Golden Birds
Author: Megara79
Series: Star Trek: Voyager
Rating: K
Summary: The reunion of loved ones...
Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N: Sooooo... What's a 5 year hiatus between friends eh? The muse decided to return for VAMBs Guess The Pairing 2015, and this little drabble happened. It's sadly unbetaed, a twist that makes me jerk and twitch like a short-circuiting Borg drone but there you go.
"Coffee, black."
She eyes the replicator with something akin to disdain. The cup materializes, steam wafting from its content, bringing with it an aroma that is almost authentic.
But not quite.
She has a complicated relationship with replicators. She recognises their usefulness but prefers making her coffee the old-fashioned way. She prefers doing a lot of things the old-fashioned way. Regardless, she takes what it offers her, inhaling the scent just before she puts the cup to her lips and drinks. She deftly ignores that miniscule hint of synthetic subatomic particles and thinks of ground coffee beans and the real thing. The hot liquid heats her from the inside, and synthetic or not, she can't quite contain the sigh that escapes her. Not exactly content, but close enough.
And more importantly – it steadies her nerves.
She wanders about the room and sips her drink. As rooms go, it's entirely ordinary. All things considered, she's almost offended at its sparseness, but she's also grateful that the dignitaries have agreed to let them have their moment in private and away from prying eyes.
"You're pacing."
Her companion's tone is warm and teasing. Someone else might not have heard the hint of tremor the voice carries, but she does. Apparently they're both trying to quell the nervous energy that seems to roll through the air without respite.
"I'm old," she answers. "If I want to pace, I pace. Besides-" she adds, a hint of humour colouring her words, "I stopped for coffee, didn't I?"
"A small miracle."
The rebuke is followed by a snort and a meaningful glance pointed towards the replicator.
"Don't be smart with me, missy," she says sternly.
"Whatever you say, Ma'am."
For a nanosecond the grinning woman before her transforms into a ten-year-old with unruly pigtails and a stubborn disposition. Her heart swells at that and she marvels at how the time has passed.
So much time.
"This is ridiculous," she suddenly huffs, placing her coffee cup on the nearby table with force. "Where are they?"
"It's been seven years. Surely a few more minutes won't matter?"
"It's been seven years!" The emphasis on the last word is close to desperate.
She's tried to live a life she can be proud of despite the losses her family has endured, but the undercurrent of grief has aged her beyond her years and she finds that on the eve of her miracle she has little patience left. Had it not been for the woman she's with and the unflinching belief in the one they're both waiting for, she thinks she might have lost her mind.
If the next few minutes doesn't pass at the speed of light she's sure she truly will.
Willowy arms embrace her with a ferocity that belie their appearance. The women in their family are made of iron despite their slight frames and she returns the hug in equal measures.
"I've missed her too," the younger woman whispers. "So much."
"I know you have, sweetheart," she answers thickly, regretting her sudden outburst. The two of them break apart, a myriad of emotions pulsating through both of them. Though she knows it's unnecessary, she starts to apologise when the doors to the room they're in hiss open. They turn at the sound, and a strangled cry escapes her when she sees who's at the door.
She moves without conscious thought, the few feet that separate her from the newcomer agonisingly long. Then – finally – she finds herself in another embrace.
"You cut your hair," she whispers, sobbing and laughing at the same time. The woman in her arms just hugs her even tighter and weeps with her.
It's a curious thing she thinks, how so much loss and pain can vanish in just the blink of an eye. The missing piece of her heart has found its way back and when she beckons her youngest to join them, wrapping her arms around both of them, she can't for the life of her remember what the past seven years have been like.
And because of that and despite it all, she thinks she might just be the luckiest woman in the world.