This is the product of me typing at 3:00 am. Be afraid. Okay, proceed. And REVIEW!
The various important persons at the meeting were just about ready to give up. Worried though they were about the fact that the three most important teenagers on Earth had just gone missing, the entire meeting had developed into one gigantic argument between T'Son and Toreth. Those two did not argue often, but when they did, they really argued. Most people felt they had be looking for a way to publicly blame each other's government for years, and this thing with their children just gave them an excuse to do so.
"Do something!" Qwi moaned to their spouses.
"Qwi, I am sure you know just as well as I do that when Toreth gets into an argument, it is impossible to get her out until she has won or she has died, whichever comes second. I am sorry," Vokar said with a sympathetic look at the admiral.
"My husband does not follow the ways of Surak," Adamina murmured. "His logic here is flawed. He is arguing when it is pointless right now. The logical thing to do is search for the missing children. Yet he lets his dislike of the Romulans blind him." Qwi frowned; much as she was annoyed with T'Son and Toreth, the strictly logical path of Vulcans was still even more annoying. Therefore she did the first illogical thing that came to her mind.
"Okay, people, coffee break! We have doughnuts and chocolate too!" she shouted, standing on her chair. To her surprise, the important people all voiced their agreement and began moving towards the door. T'Son and Toreth came towards her, neither of them looking very happy.
"You did that on purpose! I was just about to outline how exactly the Federation is better than the Romulans and how we can easily assimilate them into the UFP!" T'Son said.
"Oh, and what about me, eh, T'Son? I was just about to smash your entire premise into little bite-sized pieces and serve them to my kids on slices of toast!" Toreth shot back.
"Sorry! You guys can point fingers without involving the entire galaxy though," Qwi said, trying to look invisible next to Ben. Both pointy-eared beings glared at her for a moment before Toreth broke the silence with, "That chocolate had better be Lindt's Lindor Truffles." Qwi, Ben, and Vokar all laughed until they realized she was serious.
"I suggest we stop this proverbial pointing of fingers and try to find some scientific evidence of where the children have gone, either forcibly or of their own free will, and thus be closer to finding them," Adamina stated. Everyone looked at her like they had never seen her before.
"You know, that's a good idea…" Ben stated slowly.
"Of course it's a good idea! Why did I not think of that? T'Son, you always cloud my judgment! I can never think straight when I am around you! Vokar, remind me why we even had children. The little brats do nothing but get in my way," Toreth said sarcastically, crossing her arms with an air of finality.
"You do not have to be so dramatic about it," T'Son said. "Fine. You Romulans go get your scientists, and we higher life forms will gather our undoubtedly superior scientists. After all, it is not like we put black holes in the middle of our ships or something."
"Well something obviously crawled in your ear and lowered your IQ because I see no sign of that 'superior intellect' in you pathetic idiots. Come along, Vokar. We have things to do, people to meet… unfortunately, places to go, and the rest of that good old cliché." Vokar gave her an amused look before walking out with her. As soon as the doors hissed shut behind them, T'Son dropped into a chair and put his head in his hands.
"Remind me why I invited her to a peace conference," he groaned. Ben and Qwi laughed.
"She is the sister you never had, and you wanted to see her," Qwi said. "Hera knows you two fight like siblings. Just do not let her know she causes you headaches, or she will be delighted and do it all the more." Despite their situation, T'Son smiled.
"My headaches fall under a few categories: work-induced, illness-induced, sleep-deprivation-induced, loud noise-induced, and Toreth-induced. The last category is by far the most severe. Now I have a few scientists to round up. Qwi, go make sure someone is following the Romulan scientists so they are only investigating what they should be. I would not out anything past Toreth today." He offered two fingers to Adamina, who took them, and they too left the room.
"Are they always this… entertaining?" Ben asked, torn between amusement and a slight fear.
"Oh trust me, it gets worse. You should have seen the Trekkie Trio when we were teenagers and hormones were added into the mix," Qwi said.
"What happened?" Ben asked, now looking even more frightened.
"Oh, nothing," Qwi said innocently, though her evil grin belied her words.
The door to Toreth's temporary office while on Earth slid open and Qwi was almost physically shoved backwards by the volume of hard rock that was playing. Toreth was sitting at a computer screen, pulling up numerous lists, equations, documents, and lots more. On the desk next to the screen lay four empty truffle wrappers and three wrapped truffles. The viewscreen that doubled as a fake window was inactive, allow no light but that off Toreth's monitor to end the room.
"Toreth, what the heck are you doing?" Qwi screamed.
"What?" Toreth screamed back.
"What?" Qwi screamed.
"What? I cannot hear you!" Toreth screamed.
"What? Shout louder please!" Qwi screamed.
"Computer, music off. What?" Toreth asked.
"What the heck are you doing?"
"Working, obviously. My eldest is missing, not to mention this stupid peace conference has set me about sixty years behind on my work for the Tal Shiar."
"Working? I would hardly call these optimal working conditions. I think too many truffles have completely turned your brain inside out," Qwi responded, shaking her head.
"Well, I do anything better in darkness, thus the lack of light," Toreth began. "Truffles keep me alive; I can work and be happy so long as I have my truffles. My precious," she said with a grin, glancing back at the three remaining chocolate balls. "And the music actually comes from Mom. If I listen to a really hard rock really loud, it drowns everything else out, and then I can tune it out and work in silence. Get it?"
"Ye… no," Qwi answered doubtfully. Toreth shook her head.
"Never mind. Has T'Son found anything yet?" Toreth asked.
"No. There is seemly absolutely no evidence in the building whatsoever. However, there is a Klingon shuttle missing. T'Son cannot imagine any of our kids taking a Klingon shuttle, but they are going to search the atmosphere for tracing of a shuttle passing through. Those results should be in in a few hours. But I did not come to talk about work. We have been working all day long. Do you have any popcorn? I feel like watching a chick flick." Toreth stared at Qwi.
"I have not heard that term in years…" Toreth said softly. "In fact, I have not even watched a chick flick in years. Yeah, let's do it. You choose the movie and I will replicate some popcorn and coke. It'll be just like back when we were in middle school, and watched movies at each other's houses every Tuesday and Saturday." She grinned, turned on the viewscreen, and took a flying leap onto the couch. Qwi joined her in much the same manner.
That was how T'Son, Vokar, and Ben found them three hours later, comically reciting along with An Affair to Remember, their second movie, and giggling madly. The men all gave each other odd looks. Vokar and Ben looked mystified. T'Son felt another headache coming on. He would take an all-out argument with both of them over this giggly, girlish side any day.
"Guys, come and join us!" Qwi called with a grin.
"No thank you," T'Son said, holding up his hands. "If I have to hear, 'We've already missed the spring!' one more time, I think I will be ill." Ben and Vokar again looked mystified as both females burst out laughing yet again.
"Why T'Son, I did not think you would remember!" Toreth said with a wide smile.
"I wish I could forget, thank you very much," T'Son said. "Now, we have dinner with the Cardassian ambassador in less than two hours. If you breathe a word about winter being so cold or something, it could ruin any chances of trade with Cardassia, and consequently, contact with Bajor and access to the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. I expect you two to be on time and presentable!"
"Grump," Toreth said. She climbing over the back of the couch and brushed stray bits of popcorn off her uniform. "You know I can only stand sappy romances and chick flicks occasionally anyway. I still the same evil dictator you know and love. Besides, the quote goes, 'Winter must be so cold for those who have no warm memories.'" She gave him a grin and walked out.
"Qwi, your friends have the oddest fights," Ben said. "I could swear that she was flirting with T'Son." Qwi shrugged.
"She probably was. Toreth has a perverted sense of humor. You get used to it. Do any of you guys want to finish the popcorn?"