As many of you have probably noticed, I have changed the title of this fic. Previously it was Lost, Missing, Found Again, Lost Again, Missing Again, Sick of Repeats, but that was a little lengthy, and since I still can't post new stories(WHY ME?!), I've decided to not make this a series of fics, but rather a collection of their adventures.
Julian didn't know what to do. He was hopelessly in love with Oswin, and he had no idea what to do. What did one do when they fell in love with an empathic psychic who had occasional visions of the future? Panic. That's what he was doing. He was panicking over a dinner date.
Both Dax and Chief O'Brian had tried to give him advice. Garak and Odo knew absolutely nothing about dating, so it was pointless to take advice from noobs. Commander Sisko had only managed to make him even more terrified, telling him that whatever he did, don't say "you have beautiful eyes." Apparently, it was so cliché, it was a date-doomer.
So here he was, about to date a cute psychic who he was currently scared of. He sat as stiff as cardboard, and he knew he was going to feel the aftermath in his back the next morning. And Garak was NOT helping.
"So this is what an expert dater looks like?"
"Shut up, Garak."
"Oh, I'm just here to observe. Take notes, so to speak."
"Go. Away."
"You said I knew nothing about women. I'm here to learn from the master."
Julian let out a low moan. The tailor was obviously enjoying torturing his friend. The first time torturing a love-struck friend was always the best, Julian knew from personal experience. It was just a little weird to be on the receiving end this time.
Of course, he had one advantage none of his past victims had had; Garak didn't know Oswin was a psychic. One mention of her ability, and hopefully the former spy would run for the hills under the assumption that Oswin would be able to see into his memories. No need to bring up the fact that she was an empath, only capable of feeling other's emotion rather than their thoughts, but hopefully the cardassian wouldn't ask for specifics.
"So, what does this mystical woman do for a living?" Garak asked with a bemused smirk.
"She's in Starfleet. A science officer." He answered through grit teeth. His jaw would break if this continued any longer.
"What kind of science?" he pressed.
"Neurology. She's a psychic, Garak, what did you expect? A botanist?" annnnnnnnnd… the winning blow had struck.
"What do you mean? You never mentioned she was a psychic?" his smirk was replaced by a frown.
"Well, Dax knew, and usually everyone knows things within the hour if the gossip queen gets wind of something." Julian said, relief running down his spine. He didn't think he would survive the night if he was stuck with Garak watching his dating experience like a hawk.
Then he saw the short, black-haired empath near the doorway. Time for the coup de gras.
"Hi, Oswin! Over here!" he called, standing and waving his arm to get her attention. Garak seemed to pale a bit, and turned to leave as soon as Oswin spotted them.
"You'll never make it in the world as a wing-man, Garak!" he called after the tailor as he made a hasty retreat. Oh, he was never going to let him forget this after he revealed Oswin's specific psychic skill set.
And then Oswin sat herself down in the chair opposite from him, and true terror seized him again. He hair was done up in a fancy rose braid bun, and her mint blue dress glittered like starlight. Someone… help…
The best he could manage was a stupid grin. She gave him that teasing, knowing look, with that same smile she had sent him hours earlier, when she had said she had had a vision of him asking her out. That look… shock slammed him as he realized who it reminded him of. That's the same look Lizza would give me whenever she figured out one of my little secrets. Almost exactly the same. Did she see Lizza in my head? In a vision? Is it just my mind playing tricks on me?
Oswin must have sensed the change in his mood, and the look was wiped from her face in a heartbeat. Oh, great, I've ruined it. He wailed internally. Why does everything have to remind me of my little sister?
"Something bad happened, didn't it?" she said slowly."Who did you lose?"
"My sister. My little sister." He told her. The words clawed his throat just as they always did whenever he had to explain what happened.
"I've got one of those. And an older one. Between one clamoring for my attention, and the other kicking me out of her room every ten seconds, my childhood was a bit of what you might call 'hectic'." Oswin said with a slight smile. He returned it, for some reason.
"Middle child. Ouch. And you're psychic." He stated wryly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she laughed. Uh-oh. The question was asked humorously, but it was still a danger zone.
"I mean, were they always asking you to use your powers?" he cleared his throat, trying to banish the memories of Lizza and him playing in a snow-cover forest as children before they consumed his attention.
"No. My big sister is a witch, and my little sister is a true seer. Like you said; middle child." She snorted.
"Lizza was an Auror. She was training to become part of the Beyonding Division." He said. He remembered the chess pieces being shattered as they played for the last time.
"Was she pretty?" eyes as green as summer leaves, her long, dark hair fluttering in the wind, her smooth, pale skin stretched over her excided facial features as they stuck their heads out of a window on the Hogwarts Express. The last time he had ever ridden the Hogwarts Express.
"Yeah." Didn't do her justice. Had Lizza ever sought out a boyfriend, she would likely have been married before him.
Oswin placed a hand on his wrist, staring into his eyes with her impossibly blue ones. He tried to keep himself from flinching. Because, for a split second that lasted a million years, a thousand lives seemed to pass flash through the blue depths.
"She may be gone. But she's never really left you. Pity the living, not the dead, Julian (Oooooooh, snap! Dumbledore quote! BOOOOOM! Had to.) ." she said.
She's right. A small voice inside him said. I can't stop living in a past I can't go back to. There is not a magic time machine I can use to set things right. I have to do my job; I have to heal people. Living people, not dead ones.
And he felt a little better.
TTTTTTTTTDERPYLINEBREAKTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Personally, Julian thought the night had been a rather successful venture. Part of him couldn't wait to rub his success in Garak's smug face, but a larger part of him just couldn't wait to get to sleep. Him and Oswin had been up waaaaay past the recommended bedtime for average human adults. When the klingon restaurant had finally closed, they had moved to Quark's bar and spent several hours exchanging the wildest stories. Julian was pretty sure he had made most of his up, as Oswin had admitted to making up hers during an arousing but embarrassing game of truth or dare.
He had ended up drinking a teaspoon full of the hottest hot sauce in the quadrant, and Oswin had confessed to spiking his drink with food coloring… which had turned out to be a dirty little lie.
He collapsed face first onto his couch with a groan. He didn't want to bother with getting dressed. He would just fall asleep right here, right now. And he did.
He was floating in the vastness of space. Starlight danced everywhere he looked, and clouds of vibrantly colored nebulas made it seem like this was the most beautiful place in the galaxy. But he had had this dream before. He knew what was about to happen. Except he didn't know that this time, the dream would be different.
"Was she pretty?" Oswin's voice rang.
"Yeah." His own voice echoed back.
He spun in the vacuum of space, expecting to see what he always saw; the body of Lizza floating by. But this time, it wasn't just Lizza. This time, there were several others, including Oswin. Oswin, Dax, Chief O'Brian, the rest of his friends and people he saw on a day-to-day basis. Jake Sisko's eye were frozen open in terror, and his father drifted close by with a look of horror etched onto his face.
"You made a mistake, brother." Lizza said. She was standing beside him now, her hands held behind her back in a Dax-ish manner. She leaned in closer to whisper in his ear."I'm still alive."
"No. You died. I have to accept that."
"Wake up!" She hissed harshly."Now! Wake up!"
He jerked awake, and he would feel cold sweat on his face. But there was a white-blue light in front of him, and smoky wisps' of it bushed his face, sending feelings of warmth along him. And then he realized what it was, and he rolled off his couch to crouch in front of the patronus that seemed to have landed in his living room.
"Lizza?" it was her patronus, no doubt. There was no mistaking the bent tail and pricked ears. The beast was panting as if it had run a long way. Did it come here all the way from the place the Centurion was destroyed?
It would definably make sense; sub-space patronus messages were for emergency Auror distress signals, as Lizza had told him during one of her previous visits, and they had been known to take years to reach their destination. Even then, it was usually too late for the patronus caster by the time someone actually found them.
The wolf's muzzle opened, and it's jaws moved as if it were speaking, though the words were barely audible. He moved closer to hear what it was saying. And then, he heard a voice he never thought he would hear in reality again. It was silent, faded because of the long journey, but it was as strong as ever. And what she said chilled him to the bone.
"It won't end here. Beware the black ships. They are hostile." And the wolf let out a howl, dissipating into wisps of sparkling white fog that rose up into the air. He snatched at it, trying to bring it back. He hadn't heard the full message! It might have said where Lizza was!
"No!" he protested. He punched the floor with frustration, as something new fill him up and begged to be let out. He looked around desperately. He had been given a sign of hope, only to have it snatched cruelly from him.
But now, he had a whole new set of problems to deal with. The patronus had come, so she wasn't dead. But she was out there, somewhere, lost in the Gamma Quadrant. Lost, and maybe even injured. The feeling that begged to be released was a fierce love that couldn't be stopped. He would find his baby sister, even if he had to look for the rest of his life.
LoL, I built this ship in my basement. :O Okay, so if you didn't laugh at the beginning of this chapter, you have no heart. If you didn't hate what I'm putting our poor doctor through by the end of this chapter, you have no soul. It's like if you watch Eleven regenerate without crying *Sobs*.
But yeah, the whole thing with Oswin's eyes was a reference to the many times she has saved the Doctor( NOT Bashir, the Time Lord one) in her many lives that are scattered throughout his timeline. Will she die saving our fezz-wearing hero? Not a clue. I'm pretty sure I'm starting to get attached to the Osshir ship now. I've been contemplateing writing this fic since I finished watching the whole series, and I'm pretty sure of where I'll be going with it.
Speaking of ships, what to do with Ezri if Oswin and Julian are still together by season 7's time…Or should I be nice to Warf and spare Jedzia? I know I'm getting like, WAY ahead of myself here, but still. Anyway, this marks the end of part one, Lost. Next, we start on Missing.
R and R.
WARF PUT THAT CAT DOWN! IT IS NOT A FOOT PILLOW!
