This had been the worst idea ever.

Wesley stalked into Engineering, fuming silently. His twin cousins skipped along behind him, chattering and gasping as they looked at all the amazing new sights.

"Oh my, what a wonderful ship you have!" Mary Sue sighed.

"Yes, it is quite spectacular!" agreed Gary Stu.

Wesley pursed his lips. "I'm glad you like it."

"It's not exactly his ship," said a friendly voice from a little ways over. "He just helps run it."

Wes looked over and smiled when he saw Lieutenant Geordi LaForge raising his eyebrows at him and his cousins. "Hi, Geordi."

"Hi," Geordi replied, walking over to them. He gave Wes a nod, then turned his attention to Mary Sue and Gary Stu. He held his hand out for a handshake. "I'm Lieutenant Geordi LaForge. It's nice to meet you, um…?"

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you as well!" Mary Sue gushed, immediately reaching out and pumping his hand up and down. "I'm Mary Sue, and this is my twin brother Gary Stu! We're Wesley's cousins, and he's being kind enough to give us a tour of the ship." She beamed at him, and Geordi grinned back, her enthusiasm being contagious.

"Well, glad to have you onboard," he said. "I hope you're liking the ship so far?"

"Oh, we just love the ship!" Gary Stu chimed in. "It's so big! So beautiful! And wow…you must make it all run!" The twins both stared up at Geordi with adoring eyes. Geordi kept grinning, and Wesley winced.

"I'm really sorry, sir," he said. "I didn't mean to disrupt your work…we'll go on and be out of your way."

"No!" Geordi said. "No, Wes, it's fine. It's great to see such inquisitive and bright young minds!"

"It is?" Wesley asked, feeling slightly sick. This was what he had been afraid of. Back on Earth, when he had been in the same third grade class with his cousins, they had always been the ones to be first picked in gym class and the teacher had always picked one of them to be line leaders, not to mention they had always gotten the highest grades in the class. Wesley had been so glad when he had moved away the next summer (although his cousins hadn't been—they baked him cookies and cried on each other's shoulders for a week).

"Yes!" Geordi said. "Wes, you should try to be more like Gary Stu. He's just so…so insightful."

"That's funny," Wes muttered, looking puzzled. "Usually the voices in my head tell me not to be such a Gary Stu."

"Oh, but he's right, Lieutenant!" Mary Sue said, a slight pout prominent in her voice. "We're disrupting your work! And we're just so sorry." She looked miserable.

"Yes," her brother said, looking just as miserable. "We really should be going! Thank you so much for your time!"

"Any time," Geordi said, looking disappointed. "Hope you like the rest of the ship." As he turned to go, he shot Wesley a glance over his shoulder that plainly read: It's your fault.

We frowned, biting his lip. He looked at his cousins, wondering if they would also be mad at him, but their faces had already resumed their normal overly cheerful expressions.

"Where are we going now?" Mary Sue chirped. "I hope it's as lovely as Engineering is!"

"I don't know," Wes said with a shrug. He hadn't exactly planned a tour for them. "Um…how about the holodeck?"

"OOH!" the twins shrieked together, so loud that Wes winced and several officers looked over at them in surprise.

"Sorry!" Mary Sue squeaked, covering her mouth. "It's just that we've always wanted to see a holodeck!"

"Oh, yes!" Gary Stu exclaimed, throwing his arms around Wesley in a hug that made him squeeze his arms tightly against his sides and his face redden. "Thank you so much, Wes! You're the best cousin ever!"

Wes nodded, hoping no one was watching this. "Uh-huh…so…let's go."

Gary Stu let go of him, and Wes rushed out of Engineering as fast as he could, heading for the nearest holodeck. Gary Stu and Mary Sue skipped after him, and the officers that had heard the squeal and seen the hug stared after them for a moment, then shook their heads and went back to work.